Joyful

The castle of Konopiště was founded at the end of the 13th century, probably by the bishop Tobias of Benešov. It was built as a Gothic fortress copying the design of French castels.First building alterations were ordered by George of Šternberk at the end of the 15th century, and later by Hodějovští of Hodějov in the 17th century. In the 18th century, Vrtbové of Vrtba converted the castle into a Baroque palace. Francis Ferdinand d’Este, who bought it in 1887, had it rebuilt into a grand emperor’s residence.

The JAWA Factory Museum Konopiste presents representative samples from the history of the JAWA make of motorcycles, using machines on display as well as historical documents, and employing large screen audio-visual presentations in the Czech, English and German languages. Another significant theme of the museum is the documentation of the racing successes of Czech motorcycle makers during the 20th century, with unique exhibits, trophies and historical documents.

After the fateful White Mountain battle as the nobility was strictly and cruelly executed  peasant people was brought into tough subjection. Therefore it was no wonder that the peasants considered the current state unbearable and thus resistance and revolts were taking place at many places. The revolt in 1775 was the biggest vassals´ action in Bohemia in the time of later feudalism and a considerable landmark on the journey of social-political changes not only in the rural areas but also in the entire society.