Chateau Březnice

The Buzi family owned the Březnice castle until 1406, when Petr Zmrzlík from Svojšín, the supreme mint master, Hussite governor and friend of master Jan Hus, became its new owner. Precisely because of these friendly relations, Březnice was later burned down by the Hussites, affected by decay and frequent changes of owners.

Especially for his favor with Emperor Ferdinand I. In 1531, Jiří Lokšanský of Lokšany became the new owner of Březnice, working in the imperial service as a secretary and advisor. It was on his initiative that the Gothic castle was rebuilt into a Renaissance chateau.

After this family, the owners of the Březnice chateau often changed again. Přibík Jeníšek from Újezd ​​made baroque alterations here and brought Jesuits to the town. Later, during the 18th and 19th centuries, the owners of the castle were Kolovrati and the last owners were the Pálffy family from Erdöd. It was under their ownership that a significant reconstruction of the interiors took place and part of the perimeter fortifications was demolished.

However, Březnice Castle has retained its Renaissance appearance to this day. The Gothic fortifications have only been partially preserved, the façade of the chateau is decorated with Renaissance sgraffito and we find an arcaded corridor in the courtyard. The castle is surrounded by a Renaissance garden, an English park, a herb garden and a Baroque brewery nearby.

In the interior, it is worth mentioning the magnificent Renaissance dining room with a tiled stove, a knight's hall, an armory, a chateau chapel, but above all the Lokšany Library. It was founded in 1558 and is the oldest classical castle library in the Czech Republic.

Author: Andrea Štyndlová