Jemniště

Jemniště is a Baroque castle in Central Bohemia, roughly eight kilometres east of the town of Benešov, near the road toward Postupice. It stands beside the hamlet of Lísek, which historically belonged to the former municipality of Jemniště and has been part of Postupice since 1960 — which is why the estate is often mapped to Lísek as its closest settlement.

How did the castle come to be built here?

The estate had an older history, but its present form dates back to Count Franz Adam von Trauttmansdorff, who bought the property in 1717 and commissioned a new Baroque residence. The design came from František Maximilián Kaňka, one of the leading architects working in Bohemia at the time, whose work also shaped several other aristocratic seats of the period. Construction was finished in the mid-1720s.

Why does the interior look the way it does?

A fire in 1754 damaged the building, and the interiors were rebuilt and redecorated afterward. One striking result from that period is a ceiling fresco depicting a gathering of Olympian gods, painted by Felix Antonín Scheffler. Scheffler, together with Václav Vavřinec Reiner and the sculptor Matyáš Bernard Braun, also worked on the decoration of the castle's Chapel of St. Joseph, generally considered the finest room in the whole building.

Who owns the castle?

The Sternberg family has held Jemniště since 1868. After the property was nationalized under communist rule, the family recovered it through restitution in the early 1990s and has lived year-round in the left wing ever since, while opening the rest of the residence to visitors. The current head of the household is Jiří Sternberg.

What can visitors see inside?

Tours run with a guide only and last about fifty minutes. The route passes through nine halls and rooms furnished with period pieces, lithographs, and Oriental accessories, finishing in the ground-floor chapel. The family collection includes paintings, sculpture, ceramics, and weapons; the picture collection is notable enough to include works attributed to Peter Paul Rubens, Jan Kupecký, and Karel Škréta, making it one of the richer private art holdings in the region.

What is there to see around the castle grounds?

The building is set in an English-style park, fitting for a residence originally built as a summer seat for the family. An outdoor section of the visit includes a rosarium, a rock garden, and a small menagerie, so a trip to Jemniště can easily extend beyond the guided indoor tour.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Jemniště castle located? In Central Bohemia, in the Benešov district, about eight kilometres east of the town of Benešov, on the road toward Postupice. The nearest settlement is Lísek, part of the Postupice municipality.

When was the current castle built? Construction of the new Baroque residence began after 1717 for Count Trauttmansdorff, designed by architect František Maximilián Kaňka, and was completed by the mid-1720s.

Who owns the castle today? The Sternberg family, who have held it since 1868 and, after regaining it through restitution in the 1990s, still live there while keeping it open to the public.

Can visitors walk through the interiors on their own? No — tours are guided only, cover nine rooms plus the chapel, and take about fifty minutes.

What is worth seeing besides the building itself? The English park surrounding the castle, which includes a rosarium, a rock garden, and a small menagerie as part of a separate outdoor exhibition.