Horní Maršov Castle

Horní Maršov Castle (Zámek Horní Maršov) is a late Baroque and Classicist manor house perched above the Malá Úpa river, right in the heart of the eastern Giant Mountains (Krkonoše). Despite the word "castle" in its name, it was never a fortified stronghold — it's a noble residence with a distinctive tower and four wings framing a central courtyard. The building is now privately owned and closed to visitors, but its architecture and turbulent past still make it a landmark worth knowing about when exploring Horní Maršov.

When was the castle built, and by whom?

Horní Maršov became an independent estate in 1744 under the Schaffgotsch family. The manor house itself went up in 1792, commissioned by imperial chamberlain Jan Berthold Schaffgotsch together with his son-in-law Alfons Aichelburg, replacing an older manor building on the same site. The new construction blended late Baroque forms with emerging Classicist elements — a common pairing for noble residences in the Sudeten region at the time.

How did the building change over the centuries?

After 1829, when Berthold Aichelburg took over as owner, the family kept investing in the estate. The most significant transformation came in 1869: the house was rebuilt into an irregular, four-wing structure in the Neo-Renaissance style, and a tower was added at the southwest corner — the feature that still defines the building's silhouette today. The next owners, the Czernin-Morzin family, added a grand staircase to the center of the south façade between 1907 and 1910.

What happened to the castle in the 20th century?

The 1900s were rough on the estate. From 1940, part of the building was used by the Hitler Youth. After 1945, following the confiscation of German-owned property, the castle passed first to the municipality of Horní Maršov and then to the state — for decades it housed a children's home. In 1964, it was listed as a protected cultural monument. The municipality regained ownership through restitution in 1991, but couldn't afford the upkeep of such a large complex and sold it to private owners in 1997, who never followed through on planned renovations.

What condition is the castle in today?

On August 19, 2018, a deliberately set fire caused serious damage to part of the building. In 2024, a new private investor acquired the property, with plans to convert it into a senior care facility. The castle remains a legally protected monument, but its interior is not open to the public — visitors can only view it from the outside while walking through Horní Maršov.

Frequently asked questions

Can you visit Horní Maršov Castle? No. The building is privately owned and closed to the public — you can only see it from the outside.

What architectural style is it built in? It started out blending late Baroque and Classicist elements (1792), then was rebuilt in the Neo-Renaissance style in 1869, when the tower was added.

Where exactly is the castle located? In the town of Horní Maršov, Trutnov District, Hradec Králové Region, in the eastern part of the Krkonoše (Giant Mountains).

Is the castle a protected monument? Yes, it has been listed as a protected cultural monument of the Czech Republic since 1964.

What happened to the castle in 2018? A fire, later determined to have been set deliberately, damaged part of the building. It has not been fully restored since.