Lnáře Castle

Lnáře Castle is actually a pair of historic residences standing side by side in the village of Lnáře, in the Strakonice District of the South Bohemian Region, right next to Zahorčice, which forms the second part of the same municipality. Having two separate castles so close together is unusual for this part of Bohemia, and it is the main reason Lnáře stands out among smaller South Bohemian villages.

Why does Lnáře have two castles?

The story starts with a medieval fortress that Wolf Novohradský of Kolovraty rebuilt into a Renaissance residence at the end of the 16th century. The work was finished around 1593, a date recorded by the coats of arms of the owner and his wife carved above the entrance gate. This building, now known as the Old Castle, has a two-storey tower-like core with side wings and still shows the opening once used by a drawbridge.

As the Old Castle became too modest for later owners, a second, Baroque residence was built nearby between 1666 and 1685. The project was started by Aleš Ferdinand Vratislav of Mitrovice and completed by the Černín family of Chudenice in 1683-1686. The result was a four-wing Baroque palace around a rectangular courtyard, decorated with rich stucco and painted ornamentation, and centred on a representative hall that rises through two floors.

Who owned the estate over the centuries?

Ownership changed frequently through purchases and inheritance: the Zmrzlík family of Svojšín (until the mid-15th century), the Šternberks (from 1564), the Novohradskýs of Kolovraty (from 1577), the Šternberks again (from 1617), and the Vratislavs of Mitrovice (from 1660). After the Černíns, the estate passed to the Künigl family, then from 1745 to the Swéerts-Sporck family, and later to the Thun, Linker and Lilgenau families. Karel Bondy bought the castle in 1923, and Prague lawyer Jindřich Vaníček acquired it in 1936.

What happened to the castle in the 20th century?

During the Second World War the New Castle housed a Hitler Youth training centre, and after liberation it was used as quarters by General Patton's Third Army. The estate was nationalised in 1948, and between 1972 and 1985 it was reconstructed and used as a recreation and conference venue for Czechoslovakia's Communist-era government. Only in 1993, through restitution, did it return to the descendants of Jindřich Vaníček. In 1999, 333 years after it was founded, the castle finally opened to the public.

What can visitors see today?

The New Castle is surrounded by an English-style park with sculptures and a fountain topped by a statue of Neptune from the late 17th century. Inside, visitors can see the frescoes, the two-storey representative hall, the Chapel of St Joseph with biblical paintings, and a glass art collection by the noted Czech artist Bohumil Eliáš.

A particular draw is the Cat Museum, opened in 2005 as the first of its kind in the Czech Republic. Its collection includes porcelain, wooden, ceramic and glass cat figurines, paintings and carvings, together with a two-metre-tall statue of the Egyptian cat goddess Bastet, tracing the relationship between humans and cats from ancient Egypt to today. The grounds also host a display on the region's traditional fishpond farming.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Lnáře Castle? In the village of Lnáře, Strakonice District, South Bohemian Region, roughly 10 km from the town of Blatná, near road E49. It borders Zahorčice, part of the same municipality.

How many castles are there in Lnáře? Two: the older Renaissance Old Castle, finished around 1593, and the younger Baroque New Castle, built in the second half of the 17th century. The New Castle is the one open to visitors.

What is inside the castle? Frescoed interiors, a two-storey representative hall, the Chapel of St Joseph, a glass collection by Bohumil Eliáš, and the Cat Museum with its unusual exhibits.

When is the castle open? Full access to the castle and museums is available in July and August, Tuesday to Sunday. In June and September, typically only the Cat Museum is open, mainly on weekends.

Is Lnáře Castle linked to a famous horse stud farm? Available sources do not confirm any Lipizzaner horse breeding facility or stud farm connected to Lnáře Castle — the site's main attractions are the two castles themselves and the Cat Museum.