Want a selfie with the Trojan horse? Visit Bouzov Castle in the Olomouc region!

On the grounds of Bouzov Castle in the northwestern part of the Olomouc region visitors come across a monumental wooden sculpture - a Trojan Horse with publicly accessible interior spaces. If the Greek myth were to be put to the test, this horse would accommodate a small army of warriors!

The story of the Trojan horse told by the Greek and Roman epic poets Homer and Virgil fires the imagination, and many people travel to Bouzov Castle just to see the wooden Trojan horse. The head of this historic site Ladislav Kunčar says it is the biggest attraction far and wide.

Photo: Miroslav Kobza, Czech Radio

“It is the biggest wooden Trojan horse in the world with accessible indoor spaces. It stands 15 meters tall, 16 meters long and weighs around 40 tons. The horse can accommodate between 120 and 130 adults –potentially warriors, if you like. Inside, 52 steps lead from the horse's belly to its head, which serves as a lookout tower. This is a multi-purpose exhibit –it is a lookout tower, a military weapon and an art gallery where we display paintings and exhibits relating to medieval times.”

From the lookout point, visitors can admire the panorama of Bouzov Castle, the town of Bouzov and its picturesque surroundings. Although the view from a height of 15 meters is breathtaking, the interior construction of the horse is equally captivating. Ladislav Kunčar explains:

“The wooden sculpture was designed by Radim Zapletal, a shipbuilder from Přerov who used his expertise in shipbuilding to create the structure. And while we don’t know what the Trojan horse would have looked like – we think that if the Greeks had built it, they would have used their skills in shipbuilding to do so –what else? And if you look around you, you will see that the upper part of the horse's hull, resembles an inverted ship's keel.”

Bouzov|Photo: Aleš Spurný, Czech Radio

The interior of the Trojan horse serves as a gallery for historic exhibits relating to medieval times –knight’s tournaments, jousting and archery. There are replicas of various weapons, knights’ armour, swords, coats of arms, instruments and other items from medieval times.

It is remarkable that the builder of the Trojan horse in Bouzov thought not only about the aesthetic form of the work, but also about its functionality. For example, the giant round shields that decorate the flanks of the horse can be swung in front of the windows in the hull and thus serve as shutters in the event of strong winds, rain or snow storms.

The Trojan horse is part of a broader historical site centered around Bouzov Castle, which opened in 1998. The site hosts programs and performances themed around the medieval period.