Červené Pečky Castle

Červené Pečky Castle stands in Bojiště, part of the small town of Červené Pečky in the Kolín district of Central Bohemia. This early Baroque chateau has passed through more than three centuries of owners and uses – from a noble family seat, to state ownership after 1945, to its present role as commercial storage and event space.

When was the castle built and by whom?

The current building went up between 1660 and 1670, commissioned by Jan Friedrich of Trauttmansdorff. It replaced an older Renaissance fortified manor (tvrz) on the same site, one that had been damaged during the Thirty Years' War. The new chateau took the form of a single-storey, two-wing structure arranged in an L-shape and topped with a hip roof. A four-storey pseudo-Renaissance tower was attached to the north side of the east wing, housing the castle's main entrance.

Who owned the castle over the centuries?

Ownership of Červené Pečky changed hands many times. Jan Friedrich of Trauttmansdorff held the estate until his death in 1696, after which it passed to his son František Adam. In 1713 the property was sold to Karel Jáchym Breda, whose tenure coincided with a period of regional unrest and peasant uprisings; his assets were seized for debt in 1734. In 1754 the estate briefly belonged to Ignác Koch, secretary to Empress Maria Theresa. The longest chapter began in 1794, when lawyer and royal prosecutor Leopold Hrubý of Schwanheim acquired the property. His family, elevated to nobility in 1814 under the name "z Jelení," held the estate for well over a century, into the first half of the 20th century. The most extensive renovations date to the tenure of Bohdan Karel August Hrubý, between 1860 and 1914. The Czechoslovak state took over the castle in 1945, and since 2012 it has been owned by the company BENet Praha.

What does the castle look like and what is it used for today?

Architecturally, the chateau retains its single-storey, two-wing Baroque layout with the distinctive pseudo-Renaissance tower marking the entrance. During the Second World War, the building and its surrounding grounds were used by German troops, which took a toll on the property's condition. Today the castle does not operate as a museum or a sightseeing destination with regular opening hours. Its current owners instead offer storage space, outdoor grounds, parking, and locations for film productions. It is an unusual outcome for a Czech chateau: rather than becoming a museum exhibit, it found a second life as commercial premises and a filming location.

Frequently asked questions

Can visitors tour Červené Pečky Castle? The chateau does not run regular public tours or exhibitions; it primarily functions as rented storage space and a film location.

Where exactly is the castle located? In Bojiště, part of the town of Červené Pečky, in the Kolín district of the Central Bohemian Region, at coordinates 49.9785408, 15.2079808.

Who built the castle? Jan Friedrich of Trauttmansdorff commissioned the current building between 1660 and 1670, on the site of an older Renaissance fortified manor damaged during the Thirty Years' War.

What architectural style is the castle? Early Baroque: an L-shaped, two-wing layout with a hip roof and a four-storey pseudo-Renaissance tower above the main entrance.

Which family owned the castle the longest? The Hrubý family held it from 1794 into the first half of the 20th century. Elevated to nobility as "z Jelení" in 1814, they carried out the estate's major renovations under Bohdan Karel August Hrubý around the turn of the 20th century.