Castle Horní Police

Castle Horní Police sits in northern Bohemia, in the Česká Lípa district of the Liberec Region, right next to the Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary. Together the two buildings form one of the more distinctive historic ensembles in this part of the country. It is not a grand aristocratic palace but a modest baroque manor that grew out of monastic land and later turned into the administrative heart of a busy pilgrimage site.

Where does the story of this place begin?

The earliest written record of Horní Police dates to 1273, in a document issued by Pope Gregory X that confirmed the property rights of the Premonstratensian convent at Doksany. The settlement and surrounding land stayed under the convent's control for well over a century. That changed abruptly in 1421, when the estate was destroyed during the Hussite Wars. Ownership then passed to the Berka family of Dubá and Lipá, closing the chapter of monastic control over the area.

How did the Saxe-Lauenburg dukes end up here?

In the 16th century, Horní Police was folded into the neighboring Zákupy estate. Another shift came after 1628, when the property was inherited by Anna Magdalena of Lobkowicz. Her marriage in 1632 to Julius Henry of Saxe-Lauenburg brought the estate under the control of the ducal house of Saxe-Lauenburg for several generations. It was under a later duke of the same family, Julius Francis of Saxe-Lauenburg, that Horní Police went through a period of intense building activity, coinciding with its rise as an important Marian pilgrimage destination drawing large crowds of the faithful.

When was the current castle built?

The early baroque castle was raised shortly before 1689 on the site of an older manor. A one-storey baroque building replaced the previous seigneurial house. Later, Duchess Anna Marie Franziska had the structure raised by an additional floor, using an unusual solution borrowed from basilica architecture: the central corridor was lit by oval windows set high in the walls, a detail that still marks the building's silhouette today.

What role did the castle play during pilgrimages?

Horní Police castle was never designed as a showpiece residence in the manner of grand European courts. Its main purpose was administrative — running the affairs of the estate — while part of the building also served as lodging for clergy who assisted with religious ceremonies during pilgrimages. Those pilgrimages brought tens of thousands of believers to the village, making it one of the more significant centers of Marian devotion in the wider region.

What else is worth seeing near the castle?

Right beside the castle stands the baroque Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary, built between 1688 and 1701 to a design by Giulio Broggio on the site of an older church. The two buildings are linked by a stone arched bridge dating from 1840 — the third-oldest bridge over the Ploučnice river and the oldest one still standing in its original form. Together, the castle, the church, and this bridge are considered the three most valuable historic structures in Horní Police.

Frequently asked questions

Can the castle and the church be visited together? Yes. The two buildings stand right next to each other and are connected by the historic stone bridge, so both can easily be seen during a short walk through the village.

Why did Horní Police become a pilgrimage site? The village gained its status as an important Marian sanctuary during the rule of the Saxe-Lauenburg dukes, who invested heavily in construction that supported the local cult of the Virgin Mary.

What is the oldest part of the current buildings? The site itself dates back to the medieval monastic period, but the castle's present form comes from the late-17th-century rebuilding, later extended with an additional storey.

Is the bridge near the castle original? Yes. The stone arched bridge from 1840 is the oldest bridge over the Ploučnice river in this area that has survived in its original form.