Schloss Zdislawitz

Zdislawitz Castle (Czech: zámek Zdislavice) is a small private chateau in the village of Zdislavice, part of the Troubky-Zdislavice municipality in the Kroměříž district of Moravia. The name means little to most visitors — until they learn that one of the most celebrated Austrian writers of the 19th century was born within its walls.

How did the castle come to look the way it does?

The site began as a medieval fortified tower that gradually lost its defensive purpose. At the end of the 17th century, a simple Baroque chateau with a rectangular floor plan was built on the same spot. A further late-Baroque reconstruction followed in the second half of the 18th century. The building took on its present character after 1830, when the Dubský family of Třebomyslice took over the estate and remodeled it in the Empire style then fashionable among Central European nobility.

What is the connection to Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach?

On 13 September 1830, Marie Dubská was born at the castle. She later became known as Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, one of the most respected German-language writers of her era, celebrated for her novellas and socially engaged fiction. Her husband, Moritz von Ebner-Eschenbach, had a tomb for the Dubský family built north of the castle. It was there that the writer, who died in 1916, was laid to rest. The tomb is the only part of the castle grounds that can be viewed without entering the private property.

Can the castle be visited?

No — Zdislawitz Castle remains private property and is not open to tourists. After the Second World War the building was nationalized, and from 1948 it housed a social care institution. Following the fall of communism, the estate was returned to its original owners through restitution, and in 2016 it passed to new owners who carried out a careful restoration. Despite this, the castle itself stays off-limits to visitors — the Dubský family tomb is the only accessible feature of the complex.

Where exactly is Zdislavice?

Zdislavice is a small village forming part of the Troubky-Zdislavice municipality, located in the Kroměříž district within the Zlín Region. The surrounding area is known for its gentle, agricultural Moravian landscape and its proximity to larger tourist destinations, including the town of Kroměříž itself, home to a UNESCO-listed chateau.

Frequently asked questions

Is Zdislawitz Castle open to visitors? No, it is a private residence — only the Dubský family tomb, located north of the building, can be viewed.

Who was born here? The Austrian writer Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, born Marie Dubská on 13 September 1830.

In what architectural style was the castle built? It began as a simple Baroque structure raised on the site of a medieval tower, and gained its current Empire-style appearance after 1830.

Who owns the castle today? Since 2016 it has belonged to private owners who restored it after decades of use as a social care facility during the communist era.

How do you get to Zdislavice? Zdislavice lies within the Troubky-Zdislavice municipality in the Kroměříž district, part of the Zlín Region, a short distance from the town of Kroměříž.