Hořovice castle

The "old chateau" was built in the 13th century as a Gothic castle on a rock above Červený potok on the site of the original farmyard. It was probably built by the ancestors of the lords of Žirotín. During the Hussite wars, it was besieged and subsequently attacked by a Catholic unit in order to conquer the castle from the Hussites. He survived a great fire in 1540 and the looting of the Swedes during the Thirty Years' War. At the beginning of the 16th century it underwent a renaissance renovation and since then we have been talking about the chateau. He changed many owners and only the family of lords from Vrbno decided to settle here permanently. At the end of the 17th century, Jan František, Count of Vrbno, decided to build a so-called "new chateau" a few meters away, because the original one was not sufficiently representative.

The "new chateau" is in the style of the High Baroque and boasts a central large chapel, a large hall with a dining room, long corridors and a number of rooms. The chateau underwent a major reconstruction after the death of Jan František, when it acquired the appearance of a magnificent mansion. Long side wings were added to it, creating a courtyard with an openwork fence, the so-called Hercules Gate, decorated with statues of Matthias Bernard Braun. The Hořovice estate was sold to the family of the Hanavský princes in the middle of the 19th century. They continued the construction work and erected a gazebo tower, today's main landmark of the castle. In 1917, the Hanavský family died out in a direct line and the chateau was nationalized. This was followed by a restitution dispute with the Czechoslovak state, which was won by Jindřich von Schaumburg and administered the chateau until the end of World War II. In June 1945 it was nationalized for the second time, the Red Army resided here for some time, and in 1974 it had to be closed in a completely emergency technical condition. It was not reopened until 1985 and in 2002 it was declared a National Cultural Monument.

At Hořovice Castle you can see a permanent exhibition of slot machines, cabinets and slot machines. If you like to be afraid, be sure not to miss the exhibition of supernatural beings, look forward to fairies, elves, mazes, wizards and devils. There is a different story associated with each of these beings.

The Hořovice region also offers other treasures, the Zbiroh chateau, the Žebrák, Točník and Valdek castles, all of which you can visit, for example, by bike, through the intricate networks of cycle paths leading directly from Prague.

Author: Marie Bukovinská