Střekov Castle was built in 1316 for John of Luxembourg, the father of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, to guard an important trade route to Germany. After changing hands several times, the castle was acquired by the Lobkowicz family in 1563. Its strategic importance led to occupations by Imperial Habsburg, Saxon, and Swedish forces during the Thirty Years' War, as well as successive sieges by Austrian and Prussian armies during the Seven Years' War. Although Střekov Castle was heavily damaged during those conflicts and abandoned as a military installation by the end of the 18th century, the 1800s saw many poets and artists visiting the castle, drawn by a new trend of interest in romantic ruins. Goethe declared the view from the castle's position above the Elbe to be the most beautiful in Central Europe, while Richard Wagner's opera Tannhäuser was supposedly inspired by his visit to Strěkov. The castle was confiscated by the Nazi regime and later the Communist government, but was restituted to the Lobkowicz family in the early 1990s.

Střekov Castle

Account

by category

Login

Name

by region

Title

Name in English

On the site of the present chateau there used to stand a farmhouse with a fort. Until 1867, the name of the village was Březnice, before, it was called Březník. The first written mention of it is in the deed of Prince Spytihněv II dated 1057. Before 1600, he had a Renaissance chateau built  instead of the original fort of Rudolf of Býnov. The builder was Hans Bog of Pirna. On the old wing’s facade, connected to the chateau church of St. Florian by a corridor, there is a sun dial showing the date 1603  and the Latin inscription „Soli deo Gloria“. In 1730, the chateau was rebuilt in the Baroque style by Ludvík Richard Cavriani. In the 19th C., the building was extended with a new wing with a balcony. At the moment, the chateau is owned by the National Heritage Authority in Ústí nad Labem, which is preparing an extensive reconstruction project of the chateau. It is to seat the heritage authority, however, it shall also boast representative rooms that shall be available to the public.
http://usti-nad-labem.cz/

Krásné Březno Chateau

The chateau was built by a leading Czech aristocratic family of the Nosticzs in 1856 – 1863 in Neo-Gothic Tudor style in the middle of a park that used to be known for its magnificence. In 1919 the chateau was bought by the industrialist Wolfrum who later sold it to the city of Usti nad Labem.  In 1994 the interior was renovated and now it serves as a represen-tative community centre with a ceremony hall and a marble concert hall. The permanent exhibition of the regional industry history including a permanent exhibition of railway models is placed in several chateau chambers.
http://usti-nad-labem.cz/

Trmice Chateau

The chateau of Velke Brezno was built in the late Empire style by Count Karel Chotek in 1842-1845. Count Chotek, the supreme burgrave of the Czech Kingdom, contributed to the development of Bohemia. Around 1900, the chateau was reconstructed in Neo-Renaissance style. The chateau is surrounded by a landscape park with 130 species of precious trees and bushes. The current installation of the chateau’s interior is original and illustrates the activities of the Choteks. Sophia Chotek, the wife of Franz Ferdinand d’Este, the successor of the Austrian throne, with whom she was assassinated in Sarajevo in 1914, came from this family. There are concerts, seasonal exhibitions and also wedding ceremonials arranged in the chateau on a regular basis.
http://usti-nad-labem.cz/

Velké Březno Chateau

The ruins of Blansko castle are situated on a woody basalt hill around 6 kilometers away from Usti nad Labem. The castle was first mentioned in the year 1401 under the name of Blankenstein. Since the beginning of the 15th century it was a po-ssession of the Vartenberks. At the end of the 16th century the administrative seat was transferred from Blansko to the Krasne Brezno chateau. The castle was then used as a prison and since the Thirty Year War it was dilapidating. Today, the place is but remains of the castle palace, bastions and tower. 
The castle platform offers a perfect circular view of the Czech Highland, Lusatian Mountains and Tiské Stěny (Tisá Rock Walls).
http://usti-nad-labem.cz/

Blansko Castle

Former Gothic castle is the pearl of the royal town of Litoměřice. Located right in the historical city center, only a few dozen meters from the Peace Square.
The heart of the castle is a modern exhibition, which is a tourist attraction not only for wine lovers. Interested parties can also visit the tasting room with original stone tiles and vaulted ceilings adjoining the cellar, where the wine archive is located.
Thanks to the castle Litoměřice become the center of congress tourism. This allows modern equipped conference hall with preserved Gothic artifacts. Attractive spaces offers a lounge area connected with the historical monument of the chapel of the 14th century (in which, according to the extant historical sources prayed Karel IV.).
https://litomerice-info.cz/

Litoměřice Castle

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

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 first written record of Ploskovice comes from the 13th century. It appears in a supplement to an old Latin text of a foundation charter of Litoměřice chapter from the years 1057 – 1058. Ploskovice was in possession of a nobleman named Hroznat in the 12th century who gave it as a present to the Order of Johannites in Prague in 1188. Johannites had a fortified seat – a preceptory built in here. The preceptory may have stood at the place of a later Gothic fortress and an old chateau. Johannites held Ploskovice in their possession until 1545 when they sold it. It was rebuilt into a Renaissance chateau during the years 1545– 1575. There were many owners of Ploskovice, however it is worth mentioning one of them – Anna Marie Františka, later of Toscany. She decided to build a new, luxury chateau here which could compete with at that time aristocratic buildings in abroad. She had it built in half an Italian and half Chinese style and richly furnished. Water dams and fountains, decorative gardens, open galleries, statues and grottos were developed according to Lenotrov´s example creating a copy of small Versailles. The costs allegedly exceeded a million of golden coins. There are no accounts of bills, though. The first archived documents come from 1725. They relate to finishing works. According to style analyses, the building comes from the period of 1720 – 1730 and the architecture is ascribed to Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer. A hundred years later, the last Czech crowned king Ferdinand V. chose Ploskovice chateau as its summer residence. The castle was in a rather desolate state back then, it was necessary to have it enlarged and renovated. Hence, one more floor and a pavilion were added to it. An open arcade was restored. The chateau today is a national cultural monument and has been under gradual reconstruction. It is open to public for guided tours. Not only the beautiful chateau but also its park in the area of 8 ha is worth visiting. The most precious woody plant growing here is a real showpiece of Aesculus Hippocastanum Laciniata.
http://m.taggmanager.cz/

Ploskovice Chateau

The original water fortress from the 14th century was rebuilt by the Lords of Bünau in the Saxon Renaissance style in the second half of the 16th century and then converted into a palace in the late 17th century. Around 1800 a romantic park with a Classicist pavilion was established next to the palace. In the 1930s the palace was reconstructed by the Thun family in the New-Renaissance style. After WWII the palace was confiscated and used as a school. After the recent reconstruction, it is now open for the public.
http://turistika.ceskesvycarsko.cz/

Jílové Chateau

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/