Horní Krnsko Castle

Horní Krnsko Castle sits on the upper edge of the Strenice stream valley, on the western edge of the Horní Krnsko settlement, part of the Krnsko municipality in the Mladá Boleslav district of Central Bohemia. Over five and a half centuries it grew from a medieval stronghold into a Renaissance manor and finally a Baroque residence, and although it is protected as a cultural monument, it remains privately owned and closed to visitors today.

When was the settlement first recorded, and who owned it earliest?

Krnsko first appears in records in the second half of the 14th century. Between 1354 and 1364 the village belonged to a certain Arnošt z Krnska. After the death of a later heir, Zdislav z Krnska, the estate was absorbed into the Boleslav domain in 1464. Twelve years later, in 1476, Jan z Cimburka a Tovačova sold Krnsko to Jan Vančur z Řehnic — a name drawn directly from the neighbouring settlement of Řehnice, which today forms the other half of the same municipality as Horní Krnsko.

How did the stronghold turn into a castle?

The Vančur family of Řehnice held Krnsko for two and a half centuries, until 1726. It was during their tenure, in the 16th century, that the original Gothic stronghold was gradually rebuilt into a Renaissance manor, expanded further over the following decades. Traces of that period survive today: Renaissance arcades resting on pillars still line three sides of the inner courtyard, while the arcade on the north side was later bricked up.

What changed in the 18th century, and who owned the estate afterward?

In 1726 the estate was bought by Josef František z Vrbna, who had the residence rebuilt in the Baroque style. That reconstruction produced the four-wing, single-storey building enclosing a square courtyard that still defines the castle today. On the north side, at the centre of a projecting bay, a semicircular portal is topped by a four-sided tower crowned with an onion dome. After the Vrbna family, the estate passed to the Špork family, who held it until 1873 — the building was renovated in 1842 — before passing to Eugen Vratislav z Mitrovic.

What happened to the castle during the 20th century?

From 1919 onward the building took on institutional rather than residential uses: it served as an orphanage, and later housed a school, storage space, and a retirement home. The moat that once surrounded the old stronghold was filled in and replaced with an English-style landscape park, which still surrounds the building today.

Can visitors tour the castle today?

No. Horní Krnsko Castle is currently privately owned and closed to the public — its interiors are not open for visits, and the site has no tourist facilities. It can still be viewed from the outside while walking around the Horní Krnsko settlement, which lies roughly 8 km southwest of Mladá Boleslav.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where exactly is Horní Krnsko Castle located? In Horní Krnsko, part of the Krnsko municipality in the Mladá Boleslav district, about 8 km southwest of Mladá Boleslav, on the edge of the Strenice stream valley.

What is the castle's connection to nearby Řehnice? From 1476 to 1726 the estate belonged to the Vančur family of Řehnice, a settlement that today forms the second part of the same Krnsko municipality as Horní Krnsko.

What architectural style is the castle built in? Its current form — a four-wing building around a square courtyard, with a tower topped by an onion dome — dates from the Baroque reconstruction commissioned by Josef František z Vrbna after 1726, though its roots lie in an earlier Renaissance and Gothic stronghold.

Can the interior be visited? No, the building is privately owned and closed to the public; it can only be viewed from the outside.

What surrounds the castle grounds? An English-style park, laid out where the stronghold's original moat was once filled in.