The picturesque city of Cesky Krumlov draws many visitors every year for its fairy-tale atmosphere and stunning architecture. Unknown to most visitors, it has a dark history like any other city - and one particular story is especially gruesom.
History
For more than 300 years, the castle at Cesky Krumlov had been owned by the Rozmberk (Rosenberg) family; the last of the line, Petr Vok, was forced to sell it to Emperor Rudolph (Rudolf) II in 1601, due to mounting financial problems (and the lack of an heir).
It was just a few years later when the castle's most infamous resident was to arrive.
Don Julius Caesar d'Austria
Don Julius was the oldest of six children of Rudolph II and a Czech woman, Katerina Stradova (to whom he was never married). It was the emperor who decided that the castle in Cesky Krumlov would be the new residence for Don Julius; the young man arrived in the city in 1605. With the exception of time spent in a monastery between the summer of 1606 and the autumn of 1607, Don Julius would remain in the city until his death.
A Local Woman
Marketa Pichlerova lived with her parents (her father was a barber) in a small house near the river. The house, located below the castle, still stands. Don Julius became attracted to the young woman, and eventually - with her parents' permission - asked her to live with him. He had a sadistic streak, and he often beat Marketa, then slashed her with a knife. Thinking he had killed her, he threw her from a castle window. Local chronicler Vaclav Brezan noted this chilling fact: "She was so terribly damaged that she was no longer a single body, and in this condition she was thrown by him onto the rocks."
Marketa landed on a garbage heap, however, and survived. She was able to return to her parents, but Don Julius, having discovered that she was still alive, hounded her father, then imprisoned and threatened to kill him, unless Marketa returned to him. On Sunday, February 17, 1608, Marketa's mother brought her to the castle.
Murder
Don Julius wasted no time. The following day, February 18, he murdered Marketa and maimed her dead body. Brezan wrote starkly of the crime: "he cut off her head and other parts of the body, and people had to put her into her coffin in single pieces."
The brutal crime caused outrage throughout Europe. Rudolph II refused to intercede on his son's behalf. Don Julius, whether through shock at his actions or due to increasing mental illness, grew rapidly worse. He refused to bathe or eat, sleeping on the floor and wearing the same clothes every day. The servants avoided entering his room, due to his instability and the insufferable stench.
Death
Don Julius did not long survive his victim. On June 25, 1609, he died. Brezan noted with no small glee: "Julius that bastard ... being imprisoned in the castle ... fell and sent his dangerous soul to the devil."
Don Julius was buried in a nearby Minorite monastery, with the intent being to move his body to a more important grave, one appropriate to the son of Rudolph II. However, the Emperor died before this plan could be accomplished. The grave's location remains unknown.
Erin Naillon - I am deeply interested in the supernatural, as well as history (especially women's history) and true crime. The paranormal has always ...
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