Legends of the Czech castles

Myths, mysteries and fairy tales - all this is offered by the new cycle of the Czech Mint called Tales of Czech Castles. The first commemorative medal made of pure silver recalls the legend of the White Lady at Rožmberk.

The White Lady is an ethereal woman who has been appearing for centuries in the castles of Rožmberk, heralding happy or tragic events. According to legend, she is the soul of an unhappy noblewoman who has not found peace even after death... Perchta of Rožmberk was a cheerful and happy girl until her father married her to Jan of Liechtenstein. The noble husband soon turned out to be a bully and a tyrant, whose hostility was aggravated by the fact that Perchta's father had not paid the agreed dowry. Hell on earth began for Perchta. She lived in undignified conditions in a small hall in Mikulov castle - with no heating, no blankets, no resources and no protection. Her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law were as bad to her as Lichtenstein himself. Perhaps even worse. They slandered the poor girl in front of her husband and imposed rough work on her. Despite her repeated pleas for rescue, Perchta received no help even from her own father and brother. Nothing to be gained - medieval society did not allow a woman to leave her husband, even if he treated her inhumanely. The long suffering ended when Lichtenstein breathed his last. Before he died, he managed to ask Perchta for forgiveness, but she refused, so he cursed her. Although the distressed woman returned to the Rosenbergs, her peace was short-lived. She soon died, but her soul did not go to eternity. She remained in the world as a ghostly apparition until someone rescued her...

The obverse side of the commemorative medal, the work of academic sculptor Majka Wichnerová, presents the White Lady wandering through the castle corridors. The reverse side is dominated by a view of Rožmberk Castle, complete with the Rožmberk coat of arms.

The collector's series will introduce five more castle stories...