Libořice Castle

Libořice Castle is a Baroque manor house standing in the village of Libořice, whose administrative territory also includes neighboring Železná, in the Louny District of the Ústí nad Labem Region in northwestern Bohemia, not far from the town of Žatec. The building grew out of a medieval stronghold and has been protected as a Czech cultural monument since 1964.

What stood here before the castle?

The site's story begins in 1338, when a monastery from Roudnice nad Labem built a fortified stronghold here to secure the surrounding estate. Over the following centuries the property passed through the hands of several noble families, a common fate for smaller landed estates in this part of Bohemia.

When did the stronghold become a Baroque castle?

The turning point came in 1718, when Maxmilián Libštejnský z Kolovrat sold the estate to Count František Josef Šlik. It was under Šlik that the old stronghold was rebuilt into a Baroque castle in 1737, gaining the small tower with a clock that still marks the building today.

Who were the Klebersbergs?

Only two years after the rebuilding, in 1739, the estate passed to the Counts of Klebersberg, who held it until 1847. After 1780, Václav of Klebersberg carried out further changes to the building itself and, more importantly, transformed the grounds around the castle into an extensive landscape park.

What did the castle park look like?

The park stretched from the castle building all the way to the Blšanka stream, then known as the Golden Brook, and was laid out by a gardener named Födusch, previously associated with the Černín estate. Romantic garden pavilions and small structures dotted the grounds, in keeping with the era's taste for sentimental, picturesque landscaping.

What happened to the park in 1872?

A major flood that struck the region in 1872 destroyed the park along with its romantic garden buildings. The disaster marked the end of a chapter in the estate's history — afterward, the Libořice property passed to A. Dreher, owner of a well-known brewery in Žatec, tying the castle to the region's famous hop-growing and brewing industry.

Why does Železná matter here?

Although Železná is administratively part of Libořice, it is a distinct village sitting right next to the castle. For anyone planning a visit, Železná often serves as the more useful landmark when navigating toward the castle hill, since the two places lie only a short distance apart within the same municipality.

What sets this castle apart from other Baroque residences in the region?

Unlike many grand aristocratic seats elsewhere in the Ústí nad Labem Region, Libořice Castle kept a more modest, local scale — it is a building tied to the history of a single village and a handful of noble families rather than to the grand politics of the kingdom. That continuity, from a medieval stronghold through a Baroque rebuilding to nineteenth-century changes in ownership, makes it a compact but telling example of how a small country estate evolved over time in Bohemia.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Libořice Castle located? In the village of Libořice in the Louny District, Ústí nad Labem Region, near Žatec, right next to the village of Železná.

When was the first structure on the site built? In 1338, when a monastery from Roudnice nad Labem built a stronghold there.

When was the stronghold rebuilt into a Baroque castle? In 1737, under Count František Josef Šlik, when the tower with its clock was added.

Who owned the castle after Šlik? The Counts of Klebersberg held the estate from 1739 to 1847.

What happened to the castle's park? The park, designed by the gardener Födusch and reaching to the Blšanka stream, was destroyed along with its romantic garden buildings by a flood in 1872.

Since when has the castle been a protected monument? It has been listed as a Czech cultural monument since 1964.