The town has a uniquely preserved historic lay-out with fortifications and with gates and bastions from the years 1525- 1527. The Church of St. Giles is a rare monument of Gothic architecture. Adjoining is the Gothic monastery of the Augustinian order, built in Baroque style in the 18
th century.
Trebon castle from the second half of the 14
th century was reconstructed into a chateau which is famous for its archives. Other architectural gems of the town include the town hall, the Gothic. Renaissance and Baroque burger houses,
the cemetery church of St. Elizabeth and the Marian column.
Trebon is one of the most beautiful towns of southern Bohemia and its surroundings will charm any perceptive human soul. It is a paradise for anglers, lovers of water sports, pedestrian tours and cycling.
The most interesting relic of the Schwartzenbergs and a true example of the families massive wealth is
the giant crypt they built on the opposite side of the lake, Rybnik Svet. Lying in a clearing away from the lush forest surrounding the lake, the magnificent neogothic crypt rises like something out of a dark fairy-tale. The family began looking for a place to bury their dead when Emperor Joseph II. prohibited the burying of the dead in churches and chose this quiet area off the lake for the family to finally rest.
Dead bodies were stored for years in Trebon's St. Jilji Church as construction of the intricate crypt was completed. A channel 0.6 meters deep and 2 meters wide had to be established around the crypt grounds to prevent any water from infiltrating the foundation. Visit the crypt and see 25 members of the Schwartzenbergs who died between the years of 1786-1939. To cap off the spooky visit, be sure to look for the family crest which ominously pictures a crow picking at the eyes of a severed head.
Many visitors of historical places know Jan Adolf II. Schwarzenberg and his wife, Duchess Eleonora, as the originators of the rebuilding of the Castle Hluboka into its present neo-gothic looks. The Princess Eleonora managed to build a new crypt intended for placing relics of other members of the House of Schwarzenberg. Since 1784 members of the main branch of the family had been buried in a nearby
cemetary church of St. Giles. But this place was full in the 2
nd half of the 19
th century and also didn't fulfil strict hygienic regulations which ordered separate ventilation of the crypt and embalming the bodies before putting them into double-case coffins. Initial project of the new crypt which is situated in the park near
the southeastern side of the lake Svet was made by an important Austrian
architect Johann Schmidt who wasn't familiar enough with the problems connected with its bed and his project wasn't realized. Schwarzenberg architect F. D. Deworetzsky (who collaborated with the rebuilding of the Castle Hluboka) was asked again. He projected a two-floor building in a neo-gothic style with grandious staircase which successfully fits into surrounding park. This building was designed according to Italian Campa Santa. The building was begun on 14 June 1874 under leadership of Deworetzsky. Workmen from the whole southern Bohemia participated in building of this crypt and 251 thousand guilders was spent in 2 and a half years. The crypt was gloriously consecrated by Prague archibishop Bedrich Schwarzenberg, brother of Duke Jan Adolf II., on 29 July 1877.
The main altar dominates the sober space of the crypt. This altar was consecrated to the Redeemer and was made from white sandstone, plaster and Istrian marble by
sculptor Josef Pokorny. In the vault itself (beneath the chapel) there is possible to see a precious marble sarcophagus made by Alexander Trippel in 1789.
An air canal (60 cm wide and 2 m deep) was built to prevent water from soaking because the vault is located below the terrain level and the level of the lake Svet. It takes water out of the building and keeps the area dry inside.