The Švihov Castle used to be a good example of a well-fortified seat back in the day. Besides solid walls, also the water fosses provided good protection. Only one of these was preserved to the present day. Czech King Ferdinand III found the impregnability of the castle very annoying. Afraid that it could serve as home to thieves and mercenaries after the Thirty Years' War, he wanted the castle demolished. Luckily, he was eventually satisfied with a promise, that it would only serve farming purposes.

During the Thirty Years’ War, Swedish armies besieged its citadel. They were unsuccessful. Even the prince in the film nearly left empty-handed, when he came here in pursuit of a mysterious lady from the ball. Fortunately, she lost her shoe on her way here, so small in size it could only fit her foot and no other woman's.

The Švihov Castle isn't always in favour of love, at least not in films. Just look at King's Affair, a Danish motion picture nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. In it, the queen falls for a doctor, portrayed by Mads Mikkelsen, and their relationship isn't all that romantic. So what can we learn from this? A relationship with a monarch only comes with a happy ending in fairy tales.