Konice Castle

Konice Castle is a Baroque residence in the town of Konice, in the Prostějov District of the Olomouc Region, built on the site of a medieval stronghold that once guarded a trade route running from Moravia into Bohemia.

How far back does the site's history go?

The first written record of Konice dates to 1200, when a fortified seat already stood here, protecting the trade route between Moravia and Bohemia. In the first half of the 14th century, Adam of Konice - or his son Ješek - founded a new stronghold, first documented in 1351. Over the following centuries ownership passed through several noble families, including the lords of Cimburk and the lords of Švábenice, who held the estate from 1434 to 1655 and rebuilt it in turn in Gothic and Renaissance style.

Who built the Baroque castle that stands today?

In 1699 the Hradisko Monastery near Olomouc purchased the Konice estate. Abbot Norbert Želecký of Počenice commissioned a Baroque residence on the site of the old stronghold, intended as a summer retreat for the monks. The Olomouc-based builder Lukáš Glöckel carried out the construction between 1703 and 1705. The result is a four-wing castle around a square courtyard lined with two-storey arcades - open on the ground floor, glazed above, and covered with cross vaults.

What is inside the castle?

A representative staircase with a stone balustrade leads through the interior. The former dining room, now used as a ceremonial hall, holds a valuable fresco of the Last Supper, attributed to Bedřich Diviš Strausse (1660-1720). Another ceremonial room features a painted scene of the Holy Family at table.

What happened after the monastery was dissolved?

When Joseph II dissolved the Hradisko Monastery in 1784, the estate passed to the state-administered Religious Fund. By 1825 the castle was in debt and disrepair when it was bought by the Brno industrialist Karel Příza, who financed extensive repairs and settled there permanently in 1830. The Příza family kept the estate until 1945.

What does the castle house today?

The building now serves the town of Konice as a concert hall and venue for civic ceremonies, including weddings. Its ground floor houses the Museum of Konicko Crafts, a permanent exhibition covering more than twenty traditional trades once practised in the region, among them brewing, milling, blacksmithing, weaving and tailoring. The museum's standout feature is the largest axe collection in the Czech Republic - over 800 pieces, listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Highlights include stone axes roughly three thousand years old, a Viking axe, an executioner's axe, and the region's oldest surviving tower-clock mechanism.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Konice Castle located? In the town of Konice, Prostějov District, Olomouc Region, in eastern Moravia, Czech Republic.

Is today's castle the same building as the medieval stronghold? It stands on the site of the earlier stronghold, which was rebuilt several times from the 14th century onward, but the Baroque form seen today dates from 1703-1705.

What does the castle house now? A concert and ceremonial hall for the town of Konice, plus the Museum of Konicko Crafts, known for its record-breaking axe collection.

Who was the last private owner of the castle? The Příza family, Brno industrialists who owned the estate from 1825 until 1945.