The château was founded as a fort in the 13th century by the Hrabišic family, which resided at the Osek Castle. Not earlier than 1527, the Lobkowicz family replaced the fort with a one-wing Renaissance palace. Marie Polyxena of Thalmberg, the widow of František Josef of Lobkowicz, married secondly Maximillian, Count of Waldstein in 1642. Their son Jan Bedřich, Count of Waldstein, later the Archbishop of Prague, was apprised with the French architect and painter Jean Baptiste Mathey, and he brought him to Duchcov for the purpose of rebuilding the residence. The château was incorporated in the Waldstein's family fideicommis and passed on through inheritance to Ernst Joseph Count Waldstein and to his descendants until it was nationalised in 1945.
Mathey designed a huge Baroque complex, including a large park and a hospital. The decoration of the building was provided by the best Baroque artists in Bohemia, like the sculptors Matyáš Bernard Braun, Ferdinand Maxmilián Brokoff, and painter Václav Vavřinec Reiner. Between 1785 and 1798, Giacomo Casanova, the so-called secretary of the 18th century, spent the last thirteen years of his amazing life in Duchcov.
In the 19th century, the château was rebuilt in the classicist style and the garden in the romantic style. The Waldstein family left the place in 1921. At present, the château is state-owned and open to visitors. The garden grounds serve as a public park.

Duchcov Chateau

Account

by category

Login

Name

by region

Title

Name in English

A Baroque chateau is the dominant feature in Bilina, which is located near the Mírové náměstí square. Originally a Premyslid settlement was founded there at the end of the 10th century as an administrative centre of the Premyslid state in the Bílina province. In the 13th century a Gothic castle was built there, from which a vault carved in a rock and late Gothic vaults on the ground floor of the northern pavilion are still preserved. On the north side of the courtyard there is a Gothic bastion from the end of the 15th century called Manda. Since 1502 the castle was owned by the family Lobkowitz, who rebuilt it in the years 1675-1682 according to the project plans of G. T. Tencalla. In that time the Grand Hall, called Italian, with rich stucco decorations was built. The other adaptations were carried out in the 19th century. The chateau was in Lobkowitz possession until 1945, when it became a state property. Today the chateau is again owned by the Lobkowitz family and it is not open to the public.
http://krusnehory-erzgebirge.eu/

Bílina Chateau

The earliest mention of the castle is in the document from the year 1250, surname Bores (of Rýzmburk). The historical research of the building confirm that was built shortly before that date (1248/1249) one of the towers in the upper part of the castle. The castle (or whose oldest part was built) so sometime in the first half of the 13th C. It was in the strategic location on the edge of the Ore Mountains on the important long distance route from the Czech Republic to Saxony, which has been used since prehistoric times, situiert.
The former castle owner - the men of giant castle, or "Hrabišic" - computing (they had a rake in the arms), were among the most important medieval noble families of the Czech Republic and thus of engaging in the development of the entire Northwest region of the Czech Republic. Osek In addition, they founded the important Cistercian monastery. Many members of the family also worked at important posts in the royal court. 
The gentlemen of giant castle in 1398 sold their property, including the castle in Osek the Margrave of Meissen, and returned in this Region never return. The castle served as a residence and was no longer continue in the administration of a certified official - Burggrafen. Sales of the rule Osek and Dux played but it will without the consent of the king, aged dispute over what the property, which only stopped in 1459 by returning to the hands of the Bohemian king. In 1530 King Ferdinand I sold the castle giants castle to the Lords of Sulevice. This settled soon thereafter (to 1538) in the more comfortable castle in Dux, while the castle giants castle was abandoned and slowly began to degenerate. 
Giants Castle is one of the largest castles in the Czech Republic. It is based on a long and narrow rocky spur, which flows around the east and  vyhlidkavez_mnorth side with a river. From the perspective of medieval military affairs is a quality fortress, which was apparently never conquered. The castle has two basic parts. The core with residential tower and chapel is located in the höchsten part of the rock back. To him is from the south and west side, the umfangreicherste on a wall with turrets Sagittarius limited object, which dominates to this day, the massive flight tower (known as Mountain Time). 
The ruins were in the 19th Century, a popular picnic spot, in the thirties, they even visited the famous romantic poet Karel Hynek Macha-color, and made the portrait. In the second half of the 19th century at the peak of the escape tower was built, an outlook that is accessible by a staircase neueingebaute. Today the castle is almost in the whole extent hidden in wooded areas and is not used for tourism. But further, it is one of popular destinations and walks.

Rýzmburk Castle

The building styles, starting with the Romanesque and finishing with the Historicism of the XIX century, greatly infuenced the architecture of the chateau area. Its building started in the second half of the XII century, when Queen Judith „near hot water“ set up the Benedictine Order convent with a church called St. John the Baptist. Near the convent there was a settlement and from it, or from somewhere near, the town of Teplice developed later (the end of the XIII century or the beginning of the XIV century). During the Hussite wars the convent was badly damaged, the district commissioner Jakoubek from Vřesovice became its owner, and the nuns left the convent in the 30´s of the XV century. Thirty years later the king Jiri from Podebrady assigned the convent estate to his wife Johana from Rožmital, and it was rebuilt into a fortified country seat, referred to, in some written sources, as „castle“ or „fortress“. After Queen Johana´s death the owners of the chateau often changed, and the larger building activities started only at the time of Volf from Vřesovice, the educated nobleman of the Czech kingdom, the commissiorer of the Prague Castle and the President of the Czech Chamber, who owned Teplice in 1543 – 1569. Since Gothic-Renaissance period some parts of the chateau have been preserved, that is, the ground floor of the main building with the passage and the stone portal, the lower part of the western tower and the chateau church, where Volf was buried in 1569. The family of Vrchynsky owned Teplice since 1585. During the time of their reign the construction of the main building was finished and supplemented by the archways. This building was called „the new chateau“, while the rebuilt eastern, southern and western parts of the former convent, forming the inner courtyard, were named, according to some written sources, „the old chateau“. The outside corner of the new chateau was strengthened by the towers with cupolas. At that time the western wing of the main building, facing the park, had already been built. In 1600 on the eastern end of the chateau area a „lusthaus“, called the Kolostuj steeples, was erected. After the death of the last Czech owner of Teplice Vilem Vchynsky, who was killed in Cheb in 1634 together with Albrecht from Valdštejn, the rule got into the hands of the Emperor´s marshal Jan Aldringen. The Baroque reconstruction of the chateau started at the time of his successors Clary-Aldringens in the second half of the XVII century.
http://muzeum-teplice.cz/

Teplice Chateau

The lonely hill of Doubravská hora, with ruins of a late Gothic castle, creates a noticeable natural dominant around the city of Teplice and attracts visitors for walks along its charming paths with coniferous and foliate trees. The Doubravka castle was built at the top of the Doubravská hora Mountain in Teplice as early as the 15th century by Jan Ilbruk from Vřesovice. At the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries the Vchynský family rebuilt the castle to the fortress. During the Thirty Years´ War the castle was several times taken by foreign forces despite its modern bastion rampart and therefore in 1655 it was partly demolished by the order of the Emperor to prevent its possible future utilisation as a shelter for enemies. In 1884 the ruins were rebuilt beautifully with a nice restaurant. At present the Doubravka hill and the courtyard are open to the public; the castle itself is private property and is not open. From the top of the hill there is a wonderful view overlooking the town of Teplice and its surroundings.
http://krusnehory-erzgebirge.eu/

Dobříčany Chateau

In the 15th century, there used to be a stronghold which was later replaced by a manor. It got its Baroque appearance between the years 1732 – 1743 when architect František Maxmilián Kaňka was invited by the manor´s owner, František Josef Jiří of Wallenstein (1709–1771). In 1878, the four-wing building with a closed yard was completed with a large English park. In the back carriageway, you can see four Renaissance tombstones of the Lords of Jahn dating back to the 16th century. The tombstones represent the oldest physical evidence of Litvínov´s existence. The chateau was open to the public in 2015 (courtyard, park) and its visitors are now attracted by its long-term exhibitions (Srdceráj – The Heart Paradise – a monothematic exhibition of many appearances of the heart by artists Veronika Richterová and Michal Cihlář, an exposition of historic film technology from collector Miloš Štěpán and an exposition of sculpture by Stanislav Hanzlík). At present, the chateau is the seat of the Tourist Information Centre. The chateau also organises wedding ceremonies.
http://imostecko.cz/

Litvínov Chateau

Not far from the village Kostomlaty pod Milešovkou, a castle was built on a hill by a lady from Oseka, most likely before the year 1333. At the start of the Hussite wars Kostomlaty was held by Albrecht Škopek of Dub. He successfully resisted the attacks of the Hussite armies, although the castle was badly damaged. In 1434, at the time of the battle at Lipan, the Hussite leader Jakoubek of Vresovice laid seige to the castle. The seige was not successful, but all the same in 1435 he is mentioned as occupying Kostomlaty. He also won subsequent battles over the castle with the lady from Dub, and his descendents were known as the Kostomlatys of Vresovice. The Kostomlatys of Vresovice owned the castle and estates up to the start of the Thirty Years war, but with the coming of the Renaissance in the 16th century the castle lost its prestige and was gradually abandoned. It was again occupied at the end of the 18th century, when a tavern was established in the forecourt. The entrance path winds up towards the castle on high and leads to the bailey, which was build around the trapezoidal forecastle. To get to the forecastle, one went through a small gated tower, supported on the left side by a cylindrical tower. This was part of the perimeter walls and had a square internal shaft. The castle proper was enclosed by baileys with two square forts. In the southwest corner of the castle wall looms a rounded tower, ending with a narrower top around which is a circular walkway. Two parallel palaces formed the residential part of the castle. The palace near the towers was enlarged and raised in the first half of the 15th century. Remnants of the palaces can be seen in the outer walls, here and there are spaces where there were once windows.
http://waymarking.com/

Kostomlaty Castle

Hněvín Castle was named after the hill it was built upon. Archaeological investigations have uncovered the remains of a castle that was there in the 9th century, but a stone castle was probably built by the Hrabišics, the owners of Most, while Wenceslaus I (Czech: Václav I) granted Most royal city status in the 12th century, with the castle becoming the seat of the district administrator.
In the 13th century, the castle was brought by Wenceslaus II (Czech: Václav II) to the Branibors, in the time of disputes of Wenceslaus IV. ([Czech language|Czech]: Václav IV.) with aristocracy, the castle came to the Meissens. Only in 1406, Wenceslaus gained the castle back. In 1459, the castle was given into the hands of George of Poděbrady (Czech: Jiří z Poděbrad) on the basis of the Cheb peace contract. The son of George of Poděbrady Jindřich sold the castle in 1480 to Beneš of Veitmile and in 1482 the famous meeting of Saxony princess with king Vladislaus II (Czech: Vladislav II) took place in Most. Here it came to settlement of relation Czechs and Saxony people from many years.
During the reign of Rudolf II on his order it was on Most castle Hněvín the alchemists English Edward Kelley and Greek Marek Mamugny. Rudolf ordered to city people to care about them well at the claims of both adventurers caused to city much expense. In 1595 Rudolf II sold the castle to city Most.
From rather quiet holding of castle and its remains the Most people enjoyed up to the Thirty Years War. In 1646 Swedes obtained it by quile and gave to Most people great penalties and charges. For one and a half years, the emperor's army besieged the castle but it remained in the Swedes hands. They also held it after concluding the Westphalian peace. The blame for its unfortunate the Most people gave to the castle which always attracted by its significance the enemies.
Emperor Ferdinand II for that reason permitted pulling down the castle, destruction beginning in 1651. The castle mountain desolated, at the foot there were vineyards and gardens. In year 1879 it was stopped the restaurant, in 1889 the tower with outlook which was later destroyed by a great wind. In 1896, it was stated the group of friends of Castle mountain and it was begun with the construction of city with outlook. It was finished in September 1900.

Hněvín Castle

The castle was founded on a high rocky promontory accessed from the north. A channel was cut at the section where the promontory was lowest to reduce the level further. Above this, the original castle was built with a roughly rectangular north-south facing layout, approximately 20 x 55 m in size. Its dominating square tower (palace) was both residential and defensive in nature, stood in the north-western corner of the castle walls and likely comprised three storeys (its form has not been preserved). Of the rectangular tower in the eastern castle walls, which guarded the path through the town below, only the ground floor with its Gothic pointed entrance remains.
Krupka Castle – 2nd gateAt the end of the 15th century, grand fortifications were built which significantly extended the construction (the building now about 140 m long). An entrance alley from the western wall and along the building was probably constructed for castle workers, and two semicircle bastions were also built.
In 1695, a house was built onto the first of these in 1695 for the noble upper authority (official house). Although in the 17th century the castle itself no longer fulfilled its defensive and residential roles and its remains fell into disrepair, life on the promontory continued. The Krupka estate’s authorities and upper administration were based in the official house.
http://hrad-krupka.cz/

Krupka Castle

Gothic Milešov Castle, firstly mentioned in 1390, was rebuilt into simple Renaissance chateau by its owner Bohuslav Kaplír of Sulevice (Bohuslav Kaplír ze Sulevic) in 1603. His son Karel Kaplír built a new four wing Baroque chateau, which was added to existing Gothic-Renaissance palace in 1659-1661. Monumental two-storey building with courtyard arcades and chapel was designed by architect of Italian-Swiss origin Antonio della Porta. Nowadays chateau houses retirement home.
http://waymarking.com/

Milešov Chateau

The medieval Eisenberg castle, located at the foot of the Krušné Mountains, was changed in the mid-16th century into a Renaissance chateau by Nicholas Hochhauser from Hochhau. The House of Lobkowicz, who acquired the chateau in 1623, soon proceeded with Baroque alterations. In the Baroque period, the Jezeří chateau was an important cultural and social centre. In 1802, there chateau and the chateau’s symphony under the direction of Joseph Cartellieri and Antonín Vranický achieved fame. The Viennese court composer, Christoph Willibald Gluck, who is often characterized as one of the reformers of musical drama, received his music education at Jezeří. The chateau used to be visited by e.g. J. W. Goethe and other dignitaries.
After World War II, the grand residence of the Lobkowicz family deteriorated for a long time. After years of devastation, its destruction was considered in favour of coal mining. In 1987, the chateau was fortunately rescued and at the end of the 1990s its gradual reconstruction began. At present, the chateau is open to the public and mainly because of its turbulent past, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the region. From there, you have a direct view of an active lignite quarry with giant diggers and excavators, which have stopped just at the foot of the Krušné Mountains, in front of the castle.
http://imostecko.cz/