Mladá Vožice Chateau

Mladá Vožice Chateau stands above the small South Bohemian town of the same name, and its story is really two stories: a medieval stronghold that vanished in the Hussite wars, and the Renaissance mansion that rose in its shadow and went on to serve courtiers, generals, a book-loving noble family, a postwar factory, and now a planned senior residence.

What was here before the chateau?

The hill above the town has been settled since the early Middle Ages. The area first appears in written records around the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, when it passed through the hands of several noble families — the lords of Landštejn, Janovice, Orlík and Pacov. A separate medieval stronghold, not the chateau seen today, stood here and guarded the surrounding countryside.

How did the original stronghold meet its end?

In spring 1420, shortly after the Battle of Sudoměř, several thousand horsemen gathered near Mladá Vožice, and the town itself was burned by the forces of the Hussite commander Jan Žižka. Five years later, in September 1425, Hussite troops besieged the stronghold for five weeks before finally taking and destroying it. It was never rebuilt in its original form — the site's fortunes shifted instead to an entirely new building erected nearby.

Who built the Renaissance chateau?

The chateau standing today was constructed between 1570 and 1603 on the orders of Michal Španovský of Lisov, the highest scribe of the Kingdom of Bohemia — one of the most senior administrative officials of the era. In 1603 the estate was bought by Jan Bernhart Fünfkirchen, who lost it to confiscation after taking part in a revolt against the emperor. It then passed to the imperial general Baltazar de Marradas, a commander on the Catholic side during the Thirty Years' War.

What role did the Küenburg family play?

The chateau's fortunes changed decisively in 1678, when the estate was acquired by František Ferdinand Küenburg. He founded a library there that his descendants kept expanding for roughly the next 150 years, building one of the more notable noble book collections in the region. Under the Küenburgs the building was remodeled in the Baroque style, and later in the 18th century it also acquired Classicist features. During the Seven Years' War (1756–1763) the chateau served as an imperial military hospital, a reminder of how closely its history tracked the major conflicts of the period.

What happened to the chateau after 1945?

The Küenburg family held Mladá Vožice until 1945, when the estate was nationalized. After the war the building housed operations of KOH-I-NOOR, the well-known Czech stationery and pencil manufacturer. The historic library left the chateau in 1947; since 1958 its collection has been kept at the Book Museum in Žďár nad Sázavou. Restoration work on both the chateau and its adjoining gardens has been underway since 2006.

Can visitors tour the chateau today?

In 2024 the property was purchased by the company Senlife, which plans to convert the historic building into a modern senior care home with a café on the courtyard. As a result, the chateau is currently going through another transformation and its interior is not open to visitors while the works continue. It is still worth walking around the outside to take in the building's silhouette and the well-preserved historic layout of the town clustered around the castle hill.

Frequently asked questions

Is Mladá Vožice Chateau open to visitors? Not at the moment. The building is currently being converted into a senior residence by its new owner, who purchased it in 2024, so the interior is closed during the works.

What is the difference between the old stronghold and the chateau? They are two separate buildings. The medieval stronghold was destroyed by Hussite forces in 1425 and never rebuilt, while the Renaissance chateau seen today was constructed later, at the end of the 16th century.

What architectural style is the chateau? Its Renaissance core from the late 16th and early 17th centuries was later reworked in the Baroque style and then given Classicist touches.

Where did the Küenburg family's library end up? Since 1958 the collection has been housed at the Book Museum in Žďár nad Sázavou.