Schloss Leitersdorf bei Troppau

Leitersdorf Castle, known locally as Litultovice Castle, sits in the village of Litultovice in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic, not far from Opava. What makes it worth a detour is that it isn't really one building — it's two separate castles from different eras joined into a single complex around a shared courtyard.

Where is Litultovice and how do you get there?

The village lies roughly 13 km from Opava (German: Troppau), 20 km from Krnov, and about 40 km from Olomouc, so a car is the most practical way to reach it — there's no dedicated tourist rail link into the village itself. Litultovice sits below a low hill beside a small stream, surrounded by the open farmland typical of this stretch of Czech-Silesian countryside near the Polish border.

Why does the estate have two castles instead of one?

That's the question most first-time visitors ask. The complex is made up of an Old Castle and a New Castle, linked by a narrow connecting wing that closes off the inner courtyard. The Old Castle is the older of the two structures, tracing its origins to a moated stronghold; a later mansard roof gave it a silhouette close enough to its neighbor that the two now read as a matched pair from the outside. The New Castle came later, built at the start of the 17th century in Renaissance style, and its more regular, symmetrical facade is what tends to catch the eye first.

Who owned the castle, and what happened to it?

From 1792 the estate belonged to the barons Putz von Rolsberg, who held it continuously until 1945, when they were forced out as part of the postwar expulsion of the German-speaking population from Czechoslovakia. The surrounding estate once covered more than 440 hectares of land around the village. After decades of decline, restoration work began in earnest in 1974, bringing the buildings back into usable condition rather than leaving them as a ruin.

What's inside the castle today?

Unlike a stately home kept purely for sightseeing, Leitersdorf Castle now functions as part of everyday village life. It houses a public library and rooms used by a local youth club, while the New Castle retains some of its original decorated ceilings and larger halls, which today serve as meeting rooms and representative spaces for the municipal office — including a room used for civil wedding ceremonies. That mix of historic fabric and active public use is what sets it apart from castles preserved purely as museums.

When is the best time to visit?

Because much of the castle operates as working municipal space rather than a ticketed attraction, it's worth checking the opening hours of the library or municipal office before planning a visit, since not every room is open every day. The courtyard and the exterior of both wings can be viewed year-round, and the quiet, rural setting is especially pleasant in spring and autumn, when the fields and the stream running past the village are at their most scenic.

Frequently asked questions

Are Leitersdorf and Litultovice the same place? Yes. Leitersdorf is the historical German name for the village, known in Czech as Litultovice, located in the Opava District.

Why is the estate called "two castles"? Because it genuinely consists of two distinct buildings — an older one rooted in a moated fortress and a younger 17th-century Renaissance structure — joined by a narrow wing that forms a shared courtyard.

Can visitors go inside the castle? Parts of it function as public spaces, including a library, meeting rooms, and a wedding ceremony hall, so access follows the schedule of those institutions rather than fixed museum visiting hours.

Who were the last private owners of the estate? The barons Putz von Rolsberg, who held the property from 1792 until they were expelled in 1945.