Odlochovice Castle

Odlochovice Castle stands in the village of Odlochovice, part of the Jankov municipality in the Benešov District of Central Bohemia, Czech Republic. It's a modest neo-Renaissance manor set inside a free-to-enter park, better known today as a quiet stop on regional itineraries than as a major sightseeing destination.

Where is Odlochovice Castle located?

Odlochovice lies a few kilometers from Jankov, in an area sometimes called the Land of the Blaník Knights (Blanický kraj), within the Benešov District south of Prague. The wider district is packed with castles, manor houses, and nature reserves; the Roudný nature reserve sits close by, just a few kilometers from the castle grounds.

What is the history behind the building?

The present castle occupies the site of an older fortified manor (tvrz) dating back to the fourteenth century. That earlier structure served as the seat of the lords of Odlochovice, and later, until the mid-sixteenth century, the Nosákovec family of Odlochovice. After that the estate changed hands repeatedly for more than two centuries, a common fate for smaller Bohemian noble properties of the period.

Ownership settled in 1792, when Václav Rombald acquired the estate. The Rombald family held it for the following century, and in 1892 Marian Rombald - later ennobled as von Hochinfelsen - commissioned a major reconstruction. That renovation gave the building the neo-Renaissance form it still shows today.

Can visitors go inside?

No. Since the second half of the twentieth century the protected complex has been used for social-care purposes, and the building itself is closed to the public. What remains open is the surrounding park, which visitors can enter free of charge. It's worth planning around this: Odlochovice is not a site for an interior tour, but it works well as a brief stop while exploring the Benešov area.

What else is on the grounds?

The estate also includes a Baroque chapel dedicated to St. John of Nepomuk, built in 1737. The chapel has kept its original, richly detailed decoration, and it stands out as one of the more rewarding details of the complex even though the castle building itself stays off-limits.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Odlochovice Castle? In the village of Odlochovice, part of the Jankov municipality, Benešov District, Central Bohemia, Czech Republic.

When was the castle built? Its site held a fourteenth-century fortified manor. The current neo-Renaissance appearance dates from a 1892 reconstruction ordered by Marian Rombald von Hochinfelsen.

Who owned the castle over the centuries? Early owners included the lords of Odlochovice and, until the mid-1500s, the Nosákovec family. From 1792 onward the estate belonged to the Rombald family.

Is the castle interior open to tourists? No, the building now houses a social-care facility and is closed to visitors.

Is there an entry fee for the park? No, access to the park surrounding the castle is free.

Is there anything else worth seeing nearby? Yes - a Baroque chapel of St. John of Nepomuk from 1737, with its original decoration still intact, stands within the castle grounds.