One of the most valuable Gothic monasteries in Central Europe.
National cultural monument Zlatá Koruna is one of the most valuable Gothic monasteries in Central Europe. In 1263 King Premysl Otakar II. founded a Cistercian monastery originally called "Holy Crown of Thorns" (Sancta spinea corona) at the ford across the Vltava River.
The purpose was to strengthen the royal power in the south of Bohemia and to prevent the expanding expansion of the powerful Vítkovec family. But according to legend, he founded the monastery from pious motives. Before the important battle of Kressenbrunn in 1260 against the Hungarian King Bela IV. he is said to have promised to have a monastery established for his victory, which he did.
The main building is the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, which is adjoined by a two-wing convent with a cloister and a Gothic chapter hall from the end of the 13th century. The oldest part of the monastery is a small convent with a chapel of the Guardian Angels, built in the early Gothic style from the 13th century.
The monastery complex was divided into a fortified farm yard (today's village) and its own monastery complex with abbey. Several other medieval buildings, such as a hospice, a granary and a mill, have been preserved in the pre-monastery.
It is currently in charge of the National Heritage Office and offers two guided tours. A section is used by the South Bohemian Science Library as the depository of the rarest collections and prints.
