Pernštejn Castle

Pernštejn Castle (Czech: hrad Pernštejn, from German: Bernstein, originally from Bärenstein) is a castle in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on a rock above the village of Nedvědice and the rivers Svratka and Nedvědička, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of Brno. Pernštejn came to be known as the marble castle because of the marble-like stone used to frame the doors and windows. It was founded by the Lords of Medlov probably between 1270 and 1285. The family branch seated at the castle and adopted the then fashionable name Pernštejn (written also Pernstein), which is the Czech version probably derived of the German name, Bärenstein – the "Bear Rock". Its history is closely connected to the Pernštejn family and their descendants. It has kept its intact appearance in the Gothic and Renaissance form as it was finished in the first half of the 16th century by the Pernštejns, then the richest and most powerful lordly family of the Bohemian kingdom. Pernštejn is one of the best preserved castles in Czech Republic.