Střílky Castle

Střílky Castle is actually the name for two separate historic sites in the small village of Střílky, in the Kroměříž District of the Zlín Region in Moravia. The village itself has around 600 residents, and its surroundings hold both a ruined Gothic castle and a Baroque chateau — two very different chapters of the same place's history.

How to get there?

Střílky sits roughly 21 km southwest of Kroměříž and about 41 km east of Brno, close to the small town of Koryčany. Both cities are less than an hour away by car, and the village is well connected by local roads across the Zlín Region. The ruins of the medieval castle (hrad) stand on a hill southeast of the village centre, while the chateau (zámek) is located in the village itself, on its northwestern side — a walk of only a few minutes separates the two.

What will you see?

The Gothic castle ruin

The castle at Střílky is first mentioned in a written record from 1261. In 1321, King John of Bohemia — known as John the Blind — granted it to Henry of Lipá. The stronghold began losing its importance after 1486, when a castle chapel was added, and by 1542 it had already been abandoned. What remains today is limited to a few fragments: the castle core, the stump of a round tower, and traces of ramparts and ditches — enough to picture the layout of a defensive stronghold built in the second half of the 13th century.

The Baroque chateau

Between 1591 and 1599, the Kobylka family of Kobylí built a Renaissance fortress directly in the village. In the early 17th century, Adam Martínkovský of Rozseč expanded it into a chateau with two wings and a rectangular tower. After the Battle of White Mountain in 1620, the estate passed to the Petřvaldský family of Petřvald. It was Antonín Amand of Petřvald who, in the 1730s, transformed the Renaissance residence into a representative Baroque chateau — a complex of single-storey buildings arranged around a courtyard, with a rectangular tower topped by a pyramid roof and a lantern. The courtyard features a fountain with a statue of Neptune, created by the sculptor Gottfried Fritsche, who also carved the sculptural decoration of the local cemetery; the Baroque rebuilding itself was designed by architect Josef Cyrani of Bolleshaus. In the second half of the 18th century, an English-style park was laid out around the chateau.

Since 1973, the chateau and its park have been listed as a protected cultural monument in the Czech Republic. Today the site is cared for by a foundation running a yoga retreat there, which is gradually carrying out its reconstruction.

When to visit?

Spring and summer are the best seasons to explore both sites, as longer daylight hours make it easy to combine a walk up to the hilltop ruins with a stroll through the chateau park. Since the chateau is currently under restoration and used by the foundation that manages it, it is worth checking current access conditions before a visit — the interior may have limited opening, though the park and the exterior view are usually accessible without restriction. The hilltop castle ruins can be visited year-round, though the ground can get muddy in autumn and winter, so sturdy footwear is recommended.

Frequently asked questions

Is Střílky Castle one site or more than one? It actually refers to two distinct places: a medieval castle ruin (hrad) on a hill, and a separate, far better preserved Baroque chateau (zámek) in the village itself.

When was the hilltop castle built? The Gothic castle ruin dates to the second half of the 13th century — first documented in 1261 — and the stronghold had already been abandoned by 1542.

What can you see at the chateau? Surviving features include the Baroque courtyard buildings with a rectangular tower, a fountain with a statue of Neptune, and the English-style park laid out around the complex in the 18th century.

Who manages the chateau today? It is currently looked after by a foundation that runs a yoga retreat on the premises and is carrying out its ongoing reconstruction; the chateau and park have been protected as a cultural monument since 1973.