Pakoměřice Castle

Pakoměřice Castle stands in the village of Pakoměřice, a local part of the municipality of Bořanovice in the Praha-východ district, only a short distance north of central Prague. It is a Baroque manor house built on the site of a medieval fortress, today surrounded by a historic farmstead and a parish church.

How did a Baroque castle replace a medieval fortress?

The village of Pakoměřice itself was first recorded in the mid-14th century, while a fortress on the site is documented from 1440 onward. That fortress was still standing at the start of the 17th century — it is last mentioned in 1623 — but was soon abandoned and demolished. A Baroque castle rose in its place during the 17th century, later reshaped by further Renaissance, Baroque and Classicist alterations that together produced the building visible today.

Who owned the estate, and for how long?

The Nostitz family shaped the history of Pakoměřice more than any other owner. Jan Hertvík of Nostitz acquired the property around the middle of the 17th century, and his descendants held it for nearly three centuries afterward. Under the Nostitzes, Pakoměřice grew into the center of a sizeable estate that also included the nearby properties of Líbeznice, Měšice, Veleň and Bašť. The family's ownership ended in 1945, when the estate was confiscated in the postwar redistribution of property. It was subsequently placed under the management of a state agricultural farm, Statek Praha-východ, which for decades kept the site in mostly utilitarian, farm-related use.

What makes up the castle complex today?

The Pakoměřice site is more than the manor house alone: it forms a full historic complex, including a farmstead with outbuildings and the Church of the Birth of the Virgin Mary, reached by a stone bridge. The entire ensemble is protected as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic. In 2013 ownership changed again, and the castle, farmstead, rectory and church passed to the Nováček family, who through their foundation have since been carrying out a gradual restoration of a complex that had been neglected for decades.

Is Pakoměřice worth a visit from Prague?

Its proximity to Prague — well under an hour's drive — makes Pakoměřice a natural target for visitors looking for a lesser-known historic site close to the capital. The castle's story is a fairly representative one for Central Bohemia: a medieval fortress giving way to an aristocratic Baroque residence, followed by postwar neglect and a present-day restoration effort. What stands out for visitors is the visible contrast between already-restored sections and remaining traces of decades of disrepair, along with the adjoining church and farm buildings that together preserve the layout of a historic landed estate.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Pakoměřice Castle located? In the village of Pakoměřice, administratively part of the municipality of Bořanovice in the Praha-východ district of the Central Bohemian Region, a short distance north of Prague.

Which family owned the castle the longest? The Nostitz family, who held the estate from around the mid-17th century until it was confiscated in 1945.

What stands next to the castle itself? The outbuildings of the former farmstead and the Church of the Birth of the Virgin Mary, connected to the complex by a stone bridge.

Is the castle being restored today? Yes. Since 2013 its new owners, the Nováček family, have been restoring the complex through their foundation after decades of neglect.

Is the site legally protected? Yes, the whole complex — castle, farmstead, rectory and church — is listed as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic.