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30 km from Prague. An excellent illustration of the medieval architecture built by the Czech King and the Roman Emperor Charles IV in the middle of the 14 th century as a safe deposit for the crown jewels, important state documents and holy relics. The castle, built amidst forests, has a most impressive panorama since the structure rises 319 metres above chalky rocks. The interior is no less imposing, having lofty halls of residence and richly decorated chapels. The most exquisite decorations are in the Chapel of the Holy Rood, built for the safeguarding of the coronation jewels. The vault of the chapel is adorned with gold plates and the walls with semi-precious stones and 129 wooden panel paintings by Master Theodoric (14th century) depicting the "army of the Christ". Near the Castle Karl�tejn you can visit the KON�PRUSK� JESKYN� - KON�PRUSY CAVES. With their three cave complexes they belong to the �esk� Kras (Czech Karst) - a protected land area. In Palaeolithic era people dwelt in these caves, the largest in Bohemia. In the 15th century they were used as a workshop for making counterfeit coins. Many stalactites can be seen there. There are more protected objects in the caves, such as special kinds of trilobites and other palaeontological rarities. In the nearby town NI�BOR you can visit the famous private GLASS PLANT R�CKL AND SONS, where you can find masterpieces of the Bohemian crystal production. Excursions are possible on working days.