Hlavňovice Castle

Hlavňovice Castle stands in the village of the same name, roughly nine kilometers west of Sušice, in the Klatovy district of the Plzeň Region in the Czech Republic. It's a stop for travelers who like the less-polished side of South Bohemia — a small manor house with a long, layered history rather than a headline monument with ticket queues.

Where did the castle come from?

The story begins with a fortified manor built between 1566 and 1572 by Zikmund Doupovec of Doupov. In 1577 he bought the Blatná estate and sold Hlavňovice to Anna Kočová, born a Bohuchvalová of Hrádek, wife of Dětleb Koc of Dobrše. It was the Koc of Dobrše family who, in the second half of the seventeenth century, built the actual castle, likely on the site of the older fortified house. The family held the estate for more than 300 years, right up to the end of the nineteenth century — a run of continuous ownership that few similar estates in the region can match.

What happened to it after that?

The last member of the Koc family to hold Hlavňovice was Ferdinand Koc of Dobrše, who transferred the estate to his wife Valérie. In April 1905 she signed it over to her daughter, Marie Valérie, married to Pelikán. From 1919 to 1946 the estate was managed by her husband, Otomar Pelikán. After 1946 the property was nationalized, and from that point on the whole farmstead complex, castle included, was used purely for agricultural and residential purposes — a use that, over the following decades, left the buildings badly worn down.

What condition is the castle in today?

The entire castle complex has been protected as a cultural monument since 1964, but formal protection didn't stop the building from sliding into a state close to structural collapse. That changed in 2013, when the castle, together with its adjoining chapel and surrounding land, was bought by Pavel Bambásek, an enthusiast of historic buildings. Since then, work has been underway to slowly bring the castle back to life and restore something of its historical character.

How do you get to Hlavňovice?

The village sits on the natural approach toward the Šumava mountains, a short distance from Sušice, which makes a solid base for exploring the wider area. This is a destination better suited to drivers or cyclists following countryside routes than to travelers relying on well-marked tourist trails with full visitor infrastructure.

What should you know before visiting?

Keep in mind that the castle is still an active restoration project run privately by its owner — it isn't a fully organized tourist attraction with regular opening hours like the region's larger castles. For anyone interested in architectural history, or simply curious about what it takes to bring a neglected provincial manor back from the brink, it's still a worthwhile stop — a firsthand look at what decades of neglect and a slow, private revival actually look like.

Frequently asked questions

Who built Hlavňovice Castle? The earliest fortified manor was built between 1566 and 1572 by Zikmund Doupovec of Doupov; the castle in its current form was raised in the second half of the seventeenth century by the Koc of Dobrše family.

How long did one family own the estate? The Koc of Dobrše family held Hlavňovice for more than 300 years, from the late sixteenth century until the end of the nineteenth century.

What happened to the castle after 1946? The estate was nationalized and the buildings were repurposed for farming and housing, which led to gradual structural decline.

Can you visit the castle today? Since 2013 it has been privately owned by someone restoring it step by step, so it isn't a standard, fully open tourist site — check locally or with the owner before planning a visit.