Lochovice

Lochovice is a small municipality in the Beroun District of the Central Bohemian Region, roughly 13 km south of Beroun and about 34 km southwest of Prague. First mentioned in writing in 1318, the municipality today has a population of just over 1,400. If the name Netolice rings a bell from South Bohemia, that's a different place entirely — and the reason why is one of the more interesting local stories here.

What does the municipality of Lochovice actually include?

Lochovice is made up of four parts: Lochovice itself, Kočvary, Obora, and Netolice. The last of these is a tiny hamlet of only around 90–95 residents, founded after 1750 by a count of the Netolický family on the site of a former farmstead, who settled it with people brought in from the Litoměřice region. The hamlet's first written record dates from 1788. A third-class road runs through it connecting Lochovice with Praskolesy, and just to the north lies the protected natural monument of Otmíčská hora.

Why is there a Netolice inside Lochovice?

It isn't a coincidence or a database error — the Netolický family of Eisenberg bought the Lochovice estate in 1754, and the small village of Netolice, one of the municipality's four constituent parts, takes its name directly from them. This is a completely separate place from the better-known town of Netolice in the Prachatice District, more than 80 km away. The shared name is a coincidence of family history, not geography.

What is the story behind Lochovice Castle?

The site's history goes back to the 14th century, when a fortress here belonged to Bohuslav of Lochovice, recorded between 1358 and 1369. In the 15th century the estate was absorbed into the Okoř domain and the original fortress fell out of use. A new late-Gothic stronghold was built by Jan Žichovec of Duban, who acquired Lochovice before 1532. After 1571, when the estate passed to Mikuláš Walter of Waltersberg, the building was rebuilt as a Renaissance castle — and this is essentially the shape it has kept ever since. The castle was burned down during the Thirty Years' War, and after 1754 it was restored by the same Netolickýs of Eisenberg who gave their name to the nearby hamlet; they had the castle chapel decorated with Rococo and Classicist paintings. Its current appearance largely reflects later Baroque alterations. The castle building, together with the remains of its park, a former brewery and a malthouse, is protected as a cultural monument, but it remains privately owned and is not open to visitors.

What other historic sites are there in Lochovice?

The present Baroque church in Lochovice was built in 1654 and dedicated to St. Andrew, replacing an earlier Gothic church dedicated to St. Stanislaus that was destroyed during the Thirty Years' War. The area also preserves a Baroque tombstone of Countess Netolická of Eisenberg from 1793, an Empire-style tombstone of the knight Jakub Černý from 1817, a 19th-century workshop-made statue of St. John of Nepomuk, and the Luční mlýn, a Baroque mill on the Litavka River with its residential and farm buildings still standing. Nearby are also the remains of an early medieval Slavic hillfort.

Frequently asked questions

Can you visit Lochovice Castle? No — it is privately owned and closed to the public, though it is legally protected as a cultural monument.

Is Netolice near Lochovice the same place as the town of Netolice in the Prachatice District? No. They are two separate places that happen to share a name — the hamlet of Netolice within Lochovice was founded after 1750 and named after the Netolický family of Eisenberg, who owned the local castle.

How far is Lochovice from Prague? About 34 km southwest of Prague, and roughly 13 km from Beroun.

How many people live in the Lochovice municipality? Just over 1,400, counting all four constituent parts: Lochovice, Kočvary, Obora, and Netolice.