Stronghold Hluk

Hluk Fortress (Tvrz Hluk) is a fortified manor standing in the centre of the small town of Hluk, on the right bank of the Okluky stream, in the Uherské Hradiště district of Moravia, Czech Republic. Today it works as the town's cultural centre, a wedding venue and a small regional museum, with its tower doubling as a lookout point over the surrounding countryside.

How did a fortress end up in a small Moravian town?

The building is first mentioned in writing in 1303, described at the time as a wooden defensive structure on the bank of the Okluky. Among its early holders were Zdislav Henrich of Šonvald and, from 1408, Jiří of Mesenpek. In 1460 the estate passed to Jan Mlečka of Zástřizl, and it was under his ownership that the wooden stronghold was rebuilt in stone and properly fortified. After the Zástřizl family, the property went to the lords of Kunovice, and from 1625 it remained in the hands of the Liechtenstein family until the twentieth century.

Why is the current building only a few decades old in practice?

By the time the Liechtensteins' ownership ended, the fortress had fallen into disrepair and passed into the hands of the town of Hluk. In the 1960s, a group of local enthusiasts pushed through its reconstruction, saving the building from a demolition that had already been planned — without their initiative, the fortress could easily have disappeared from the town altogether. From then on it served as the local house of culture.

The most recent chapter in its history is a thorough renovation that began in the second half of 2022 and lasted almost two years. The town secured funding for the project from the national Environmental Programme (5 million koruna) and from the Ministry for Regional Development (20 million koruna). The renovated fortress was ceremonially reopened on 1 June 2024, when crowds gathered in front of the building and the medieval re-enactment group Memento Mori provided entertainment for the occasion. The works added a lift inside the tower and a top-floor apartment with views in all four directions, built with newlywed couples using the wedding hall in mind.

What is there to see inside today?

From the courtyard, visitors reach the library, the ceremonial hall, the castle café and the tower itself, from which stairs lead up to a first floor with two halls used for social and private events. Inside the tower — which also functions as a lookout — sits a permanent museum exhibition dedicated to the history of settlement in the Hluk area, showing archaeological evidence of how long people have lived along this stretch of the Okluky valley. Next to the museum room is a smaller "peasant room" used for more intimate gatherings.

What is the town of Hluk itself like?

Hluk is a town of roughly 4,300 people, around ten kilometres southeast of Uherské Hradiště in the Zlín Region. The settlement itself is first documented in 1294, only a few years before the fortress. North of the town lie vineyards with wine cellars and orchards, giving way further out to a forest known as Stará Hora.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Hluk Fortress located? In the southern part of the town of Hluk, on the right bank of the Okluky stream, in the Uherské Hradiště district of Moravia.

Can visitors go inside the fortress? Yes — the tower houses a permanent museum exhibition on the region's settlement history, and the building operates as a cultural centre open to visitors and event guests.

When was the fortress first built? It is first recorded in 1303 as a wooden defensive structure on the Okluky stream.

Who owned the fortress over the centuries? Among its owners were Zdislav Henrich of Šonvald, Jiří of Mesenpek, the Zástřizl family from 1460, the lords of Kunovice, and the Liechtenstein family from 1625 until the twentieth century.

When did the latest renovation finish? Works ran from the second half of 2022, and the fortress reopened to the public on 1 June 2024.