Branky Castle

Branky Castle is actually a pair of manor houses standing side by side in the village of Branky, a few kilometres west of Valašské Meziříčí in the Vsetín district of Moravia. An older Baroque house and a younger, historicist residence share the same grounds, built nearly two centuries apart, together with a landscaped park that still surrounds them both.

Who built the first house at Branky?

Branky itself is old — the village, along with its mill, was first recorded as a newly founded settlement in 1270. The manor house came much later. In 1701, František Erasmus Lockner of Lockenau bought the Branky estate for 13,000 gold coins and soon after began building a two-storey Baroque residence on a rectangular plan, topped with a shingle-covered mansard roof. The ground floor held a small room, a servants' room, a kitchen and two storage rooms, while the upper floor contained a large hall and six rooms for the noble family.

How did ownership change over the centuries?

After the founder's death, the estate passed through several hands. Maximilian Lockner held it until 1746, followed by Filip Josef Wippler and then Count Jan Troyer. The property later changed hands again when Karel Noe bought it for 54,000 gold coins, and Herman Pillersdorf managed the estate for more than thirty years afterward. The turning point came in 1886, when Hans Huber became the new owner.

What did Hans Huber change?

Huber carried out a major overhaul of the estate. In the late 1880s he built a new, historicist residence next to the older house — done in a pseudo-Baroque style with a corner turret and several gables, now known as the "new castle" to distinguish it from the older building. He also commissioned a naturalistic English-style park, designed by landscape architect Josef Kořínek, complete with a stream and a pond. That same park, repeatedly neglected and restored since then, still wraps around both buildings today.

What is happening at the castle now?

The municipality of Branky took over the property at the end of 2005 and has since carried out gradual restoration work. The tower dome was repaired between 2007 and 2010, gutters and drainage were replaced in 2011, and window restoration has continued steadily since 2013. In 2016 the village demolished a former psychiatric clinic building that had stood near the castle for decades, and park reclamation work has been under way since 2014. No permanent public use has been assigned to the buildings yet, but the municipality maintains the site as a protected heritage monument, and the surrounding 4.3-hectare park is freely open to visitors.

Where is Branky located?

The village lies in the Zlín Region, within the Vsetín district, about 5 kilometres west of Valašské Meziříčí, in a wooded valley on the edge of the Beskydy Mountains and the Hostýn-Vsetín Hills.

Frequently asked questions

How many castles are there in Branky? Two — an older Baroque manor from the early 18th century and a younger, historicist residence built next to it in the late 19th century, known locally as the "new castle."

Who built the first manor house? František Erasmus Lockner of Lockenau, who bought the Branky estate in 1701 and soon began building a Baroque residence there.

Who is responsible for the estate's current appearance? Hans Huber, owner from 1886, built the newer pseudo-Baroque residence and laid out the English-style landscape park designed by Josef Kořínek.

Can visitors tour Branky Castle? The buildings themselves have no fixed tourist function yet, but the surrounding 4.3-hectare park is freely accessible to visitors.

Where exactly is Branky? In the Vsetín district of the Zlín Region, about 5 km west of Valašské Meziříčí, in Moravia, Czech Republic.