Chateaux in Milešov

Milešov Castle crowns a rocky hill in the village of Milešov, part of the Velemín municipality in the Litoměřice district, on the southern slopes of Milešovka, the highest peak of the Central Bohemian Uplands (České středohoří). This Renaissance-Baroque residence, raised on the site of a medieval stronghold, is closed to visitors today, but its silhouette is a familiar landmark for hikers on the trails around the mountain, and its ownership history spans some of Bohemia's best-known noble families.

When did a fortress first stand here?

The site is first documented around the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries. The earliest known owner, recorded in 1391, was Petrman of Milešov. After 1420 the estate, together with neighboring Velemín, passed to the Kaplíř of Sulevice family, who held it for roughly the next two centuries.

How did the stronghold become a castle?

The medieval fortress was rebuilt into a single-wing Renaissance residence after 1603. Some accounts credit this work to Jiří Kamarýt Kaplíř, who owned Milešov between 1583 and 1603, while the architectural historian Pavel Vlček attributes it instead to Bohuslav Kaplíř, who took over the estate after 1603. The castle only reached its full, monumental form later in the 17th century, under Zdeněk Kašpar Kaplíř of Sulevice. Between 1662 and 1676 – with a pause starting in 1669, when the local church was being built at the same time – three further wings were added, turning the building into a four-wing Baroque castle arranged around an arcaded courtyard.

Who owned the castle after the Kaplíř family?

Around 1686 the estate passed to the Hrzán of Harasov family. When that line died out around 1840, a period of complicated inheritance disputes followed. Leopold Lažanský became the owner in 1857, and shortly after, in the 1860s, the estate was purchased by Count Adolf Benno Ledebur-Wicheln. The Ledebour family kept the castle until 1945, when it was confiscated.

What happened to the castle in the 20th and 21st centuries?

After the confiscation the building was converted to social care use: from the 1950s it operated as a retirement home, a function it retained almost continuously until 2023, when residents were relocated elsewhere. Since 2024 the current owner, the Ústí nad Labem Region (Ústecký kraj), has repeatedly put the property up for sale, so far without success. Alternative uses, including a museum, have been discussed but not implemented.

Can visitors go inside Milešov Castle today?

No. The building is closed to the public and there is no regular tourist programme running inside it. It can, however, be admired from the outside while walking through the village of Milešov or along the trails leading up to nearby Milešovka, from which the castle is visible against the surrounding hills.

How do you get to Milešov?

Milešov lies about two kilometers west of Velemín, in the heart of the Central Bohemian Uplands near Litoměřice. It makes a convenient starting point for anyone planning to climb Milešovka, whose summit hosts a weather station and a lookout point.

Frequently asked questions

Is Milešov Castle open to visitors? No, the castle is currently closed to tourists. It has stood empty since 2023, and its future — including a possible sale — remains undecided.

Who built the castle at Milešov? The Kaplíř of Sulevice family converted the earlier stronghold into a Renaissance residence after 1603, and Zdeněk Kašpar Kaplíř gave it its four-wing Baroque form between 1662 and 1676.

Which family owned the castle the longest? The Kaplíř of Sulevice family held Milešov for nearly two centuries, from the 15th to the 17th century. Later, from the 1860s until 1945, the estate belonged to the Ledebour family.

How is Milešov different from Velemín? Milešov is a small village that forms part of the Velemín municipality, located about two kilometers west of the municipality's center, at the foot of Milešovka mountain.