Kamenice Castle

Kamenice Castle stands in the municipality that shares its name, in the Prague-East district, a short drive southeast of the Czech capital. It's a modest, single-story neo-Gothic residence tucked into a forest park — privately owned today, yet still visible from the road and worth a short stop for anyone heading toward Štiřín or the Ladův kraj region.

How did this site begin?

A medieval stronghold once stood where the castle stands now. In the 18th century it was rebuilt as a single-story Baroque residence laid out in an L-shape. Starting in 1763, for close to a century, the building served as a summer residence for the archbishops of Prague — it was under their ownership that the property first took on a representative, if still modest, character, long before it changed hands entirely.

Where did the neo-Gothic look come from?

In 1860, the estate was bought by František Ringhoffer II, a Prague industrialist and founder of the well-known Ringhoffer wagon works. It was his son, František Ringhoffer III, who ordered the sweeping transformation: between 1875 and 1880, architect Jiří Stibral redesigned the Baroque residence into a showpiece in neo-English Gothic style, set within an extensive forest park. For the Ringhoffer family, Kamenice became a prestige address fitting the standing they had built through industry.

What does the building look like today?

The castle is a single-story, rectangular structure dating from 1875–1880. Its main facade runs eleven window bays wide, each framed with decorative surrounds and window ledges. On the north and south sides, projecting risalits carry paired windows and are topped with crenellation echoing medieval defensive architecture — purely ornamental, since the building itself never served a military purpose. The surrounding park was, in the Ringhoffer era, a carefully planned landscape composition.

What happened to the castle after 1945?

The Ringhoffer estate was confiscated after the war. Between 1949 and 1997, the building housed an elementary school — a period that left the clearest mark on the interiors and grounds, with the historic park gradually losing its original layout. Once the school closed, the municipality sold the property into private hands, where it remains today.

Can visitors see the castle?

Not in the usual sense. The castle grounds belong to a private owner and are not generally open to the public — the one exception is the castle chapel, which can be viewed. It's still worth pausing here on a walk through the area, or pairing a visit with the nearby Štiřín Castle, located in the same municipality, which today operates as a hotel and conference venue.

Frequently asked questions

Who gave the castle its current shape? František Ringhoffer III commissioned the neo-Gothic rebuild of 1875–1880, designed by architect Jiří Stibral.

Can you visit Kamenice Castle? No — it's privately owned and closed to visitors, apart from the castle chapel.

Where exactly is Kamenice? In the Prague-East district of the Central Bohemian Region, a short distance from central Prague.

How is Kamenice Castle different from Štiřín Castle? They're two separate properties within the same municipality — Štiřín now operates as a hotel open to guests, while Kamenice remains a private residence closed to the public.

What stood on the site before the castle? A medieval stronghold, rebuilt in the 18th century into a Baroque summer residence for the archbishops of Prague.