Krásný Les Castle

Krásný Les Castle is a small Baroque manor house standing in the hamlet of Krásný Les, part of the Petrovice municipality in the Ústí Region, right along the German border in the Krušné Mountains (Ore Mountains). It's a destination for travelers drawn to lesser-known sites with a layered, often difficult history rather than a polished, fully restored landmark.

How do you get there?

Krásný Les sits in a hilly, sparsely populated border strip a dozen or so kilometers from Ústí nad Labem. The easiest way to reach it is by car via the local roads running through Petrovice — the surroundings are rural, with scattered farmsteads and light traffic. Travelers relying on public transport should expect infrequent bus connections and a longer walk from the nearest stop. It's worth building a visit into a longer trip through the Krušné Mountains, combining it with other points of interest around Petrovice.

What will you see on site?

The castle is a simple, single-story building shaped like an inverted letter L, built in 1708 by František Ignác Vratislav of Mitrovice in the late Baroque style. Over the following decades ownership changed hands repeatedly: the Mitrovice family held it until 1791, Josef of Hackelberg-Landau owned it from 1802, and in 1892 Count Fridrich of Westphalia acquired the estate. Its last private owner was textile merchant Antonín Balle from Cvikov.

The most striking chapter of the site's history belongs to the Second World War. In 1931 the castle was bought by the city of Ústí nad Labem, and between 1940 and 1941 it held French prisoners of war. From November 1941 to March 1945, the building was used to confine elderly, able-bodied Jews from the Ústí region — a dark episode that local memory and a commemorative plaque still keep alive today.

After the war the building was converted into farm outbuildings for a state agricultural cooperative, which accelerated its decline. Neglect continued even after 1990, and the castle was gradually stripped and abandoned, with ceilings collapsing in several rooms. The turning point came in 2018, when historian Jan Kilián bought the derelict building, intending to restore it and open an exhibition on the history of Krásný Les and the people connected to it.

Visitors today will mostly encounter the raw, authentic state of a monument in the middle of being rescued — this is a place for people interested in regional history and the process of reviving forgotten buildings, not for those looking for a fully polished tourist attraction.

When should you visit?

Spring and summer are the best times to come, when the access roads and surrounding countryside are fully passable and the long days allow you to pair a visit to the castle with a walk through the nearby hills of the Krušné Mountains. In winter, the mountainous local climate can make getting there noticeably harder.

Frequently asked questions

Is Krásný Les Castle open to visitors? The building is privately owned and undergoing a long-term restoration process — accessibility depends on the current stage of work, so it's worth checking current information before visiting.

Who built the castle? It was built in 1708 by František Ignác Vratislav of Mitrovice in the late Baroque style.

What is the darkest part of the castle's history? Between 1940 and 1945 the building was used first to hold French prisoners of war and then elderly Jews from the Ústí nad Labem region.

Who takes care of the castle today? Since 2018 the owner has been historian Jan Kilián, who is working to restore the building and turn it into a historical exhibition space.