Chateau Favorit near Krásná Lípa

Chateau Favorit is a forgotten hunting chateau tucked away in the forests of the Krušné hory (Ore Mountains), in the Sokolov district, right next to the village of Krásná Lípa. It's a spot for fans of faded, aristocratic architecture rather than a polished tourist sight — the building is privately owned and closed to visitors, but its history and setting among wild, forested hills still make it worth knowing about.

Where exactly is Chateau Favorit?

The chateau stands in what used to be an extensive hunting ground between the villages of Jindřichovice and Šindelová, roughly 1.5 km south of Šindelová, in the Krušné hory of the Karlovy Vary Region. The nearest Krásná Lípa — a small settlement belonging to the municipality of Šindelová — lies about a kilometre away. This distinction matters: it is a completely different Krásná Lípa from the well-known tourist town of the same name in Bohemian Switzerland, near the German border in the Děčín district, tens of kilometres to the northeast. The village linked to Chateau Favorit is instead a small Ore Mountains settlement in the Sokolov district, close to Jindřichovice and Šindelová.

What's the history behind this hunting chateau?

The first building on the site went up in 1769, commissioned by Count František Antonín Nostic as a Rococo hunting lodge for his wife, Maria Alžběta. It was originally named "Mes idées," but the name Favorit stuck almost immediately and has been used ever since. The original structure didn't survive — it was demolished at the end of the 19th century, and Jan Nostic had a new, pseudo-Baroque hunting chateau built in its place, which is the building still standing today.

What does the building and its surroundings look like?

Chateau Favorit is a three-winged building, with side wings framing a courtyard of honour reached through a columned portico. In front of the chateau stands a Baroque chapel and a statue of Saint Hubert, the patron saint of hunters, underlining the hunting purpose the whole estate was built for. The chateau is listed as a protected cultural monument of the Czech Republic.

Who visited Favorit in its heyday?

During the period when the chateau served as a social hub for the Nostic family, its guests reportedly included Spanish King Alfonso XIII, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi), Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and the Czech scientist Jan Evangelista Purkyně. That guest list gives a sense of how significant Favorit once was among aristocratic residences in the region.

Can you visit Chateau Favorit today?

The chateau is privately owned — for years linked to the Bazhaev business clan — and has been steadily deteriorating. It is not open to visitors, there's no access to the interior, and there are no opening hours or admission details, since the site doesn't function as a tourist attraction. The most you can do is view it from outside while walking the forest tracks between Jindřichovice and Šindelová — a destination for people drawn to abandoned, half-forgotten aristocratic buildings rather than a classic guided chateau visit.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Krásná Lípa near Chateau Favorit the same as the famous tourist town in Bohemian Switzerland? No — it's a different village with the same name, located in the Sokolov district in the Ore Mountains, part of the Šindelová municipality, not the town in the Děčín district near the German border.

When was this hunting chateau built? The first building went up in 1769 for Count František Antonín Nostic; the current pseudo-Baroque chateau was built in its place after the original was demolished at the end of the 19th century.

Can you go inside Chateau Favorit? No, it's private property, closed to visitors, and gradually deteriorating — it can only be seen from the outside.

Who used to visit Favorit in the past? Reported guests include Spanish King Alfonso XIII, Empress Elisabeth of Austria, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and Jan Evangelista Purkyně.

Where exactly is the chateau located in the Czech Republic? In the Krušné hory, between Jindřichovice and Šindelová, about 1.5 km south of Šindelová, in the Sokolov district of the Karlovy Vary Region.