Brandýs nad Labem (chateau)

Jan Lucemburský tried to conquer it in 1317, but in vain, so the estate was owned by the Michalovci until the beginning of the Hussites. However, as Catholics, they lost the fortress during the Hussite wars, but regained it in 1437. With the death of the last male descendant of this family, the estate became the property of Jan Tovačovský of Cimburk.

During the ownership of the Tovačovskýs, in the 15th century, the existing fortress was expanded and also rebuilt into a Gothic castle, of which a three-part window has been preserved in the oldest part of the building, bearing the Alliance's Cimburg-Krajír and Krajírský-Šelmberský emblem.

The landowners were later confiscated by Ferdinand I due to alleged resistance, and from 1547 the local estate was owned by the Czech Chamber. The Habsburgs subsequently took care of further reconstructions, and thanks to them, the castle took the form of a Renaissance chateau with a park. The outer walls were decorated with sgraffito and everything was completed at the end of the 16th century.

During the Thirty Years' War, however, the castle was severely damaged, as were the buildings in the castle garden and the adjoining outbuildings.

Another chapter in the history of the chateau in Brandýs nad Labem is the period of the first half of the 18th century, when the forecourt and the core of the chateau, which then served the purposes of a hunting lodge and officer's flats, underwent modifications.

During the 19th century, the building was regotized and during the Napoleonic Wars, in 1813, this building became a meeting place for Emperor Francis, Tsar Alexander I, King of Prussia William III. and the commander in chief of the coalition armies, Prince Karel Schwarzenberg.

In 1873, the gate and the castle tower underwent a romantic reconstruction, and from 1910 the state was the owner of the Brandýs castle. In 1921, the chateau became the seat of the State Forest Administration and is currently the property of the town of Brandýs nad Labem - Stará Boleslav.

Author: Andrea Štyndlová