Řepín Castle

Řepín Castle stands in the upper part of the village of Řepín in the Mělník region, set within an English-style landscape park. The listing is sometimes associated with neighbouring Živonín, but the castle building itself sits in Řepín, the seat of the municipality that Živonín also belongs to as one of its constituent villages. For anyone planning a visit, the two places sit only a few hundred metres to under two kilometres apart, well within reach of a single short outing.

What is the history behind the castle?

The building visitors see today dates from the 19th century and was raised in a historicizing neo-Gothic style, but the site itself has been fortified for much longer. As early as the 13th century a defensive stronghold stood here, founded by the Teutonic Order, which held the village from 1207 and ran a commandery on the spot, tied to the nearby Church of Our Lady Victorious.

After the devastation of the Thirty Years' War, the estate was bought in 1650 by Jan Valderode of Eckhausen, who around 1670 turned the old stronghold into a Baroque residence. Later owners, the House of Rohan, carried out further rebuilding: they reworked the façade with bold gables and added an octagonal turret at the centre of the roof. The Rohan-Guémenée branch of the family took over the estate in 1806 and held it for sixty years. It was a Rohan princess who, in 1850, funded the construction of the Church of Our Lady Victorious in Řepín, built as a scaled-down copy of the Church of Our Lady before Týn in Prague.

In 1876, Prince Artur Rohan sold Řepín to the Theresianum Academy in Vienna, which administered the estate until 1918. The castle has been protected as a cultural monument since 3 May 1958.

Can the castle be visited today?

The castle building is privately owned and is not open to the public. The English-style park surrounding it, however, is partially accessible to visitors, and it is this park — rather than the building's interior — that draws most people who come to see the site.

What else is worth seeing nearby?

Řepín itself is home to the Church of Our Lady Victorious, the 1850 building commissioned by a Rohan princess as a smaller echo of Prague's Týn Church. In neighbouring Živonín, which falls under the same municipality, stands a modest chapel of St Anthony from 1864, paid for by local residents. Together the two sites round out a visit to the castle and show how this small corner of the Mělník region developed over the centuries under a succession of noble owners.

Frequently asked questions

Is Řepín Castle located in Řepín or in Živonín? The castle physically stands in Řepín, in the upper part of the village. Živonín is a neighbouring settlement that forms part of the same municipality, which is why both names sometimes appear together in descriptions of the area.

How far is Živonín from the castle? Živonín lies right next to Řepín, at a distance of a few hundred metres to under two kilometres, within the same municipal boundary.

Is entry to the castle and park free? The castle building itself is private property and closed to visitors. The surrounding park is partially open for public access.

When did the castle get its current look? Its present neo-Gothic appearance dates from the 19th century, following an earlier Baroque rebuilding around 1670 and further changes made under the Rohan family.

Are there other historic sights in Řepín worth a stop? Yes — the 1850 Church of Our Lady Victorious, modelled on Prague's Týn Church, and, in nearby Živonín, the 1864 chapel of St Anthony.