Terešov Castle

Terešov Castle is a Baroque chateau in the small village of Terešov, part of a municipality that also includes the hamlets of Terešovská Huť and Bílá Skála, in the Rokycany District of the Plzeň Region in the Czech Republic, roughly 9 km northwest of Zbiroh.

How far back does the site's history go?

The first written record of Terešov dates to 1379. The village is tied to the Kořenský family of Terešov, documented from 1411 onward, though the family was likely established earlier. It was under this family that a fortified stronghold went up on the site of today's chateau — the exact construction date is unknown. The earliest firm record of the stronghold itself comes from 1544, when Vratislav z Mitrovic had Terešov entered into the land registry.

Why did the stronghold fall into decline?

By the 16th century, Terešov had stopped being the seat of its own estate, and both the village and the stronghold fell into disrepair as a result. That changed in 1616, when the Běšin family restored Terešov's status as an independent estate.

When was the current chateau built?

Václav Diviš Misseron z Lissonu bought Terešov in 1716. Seven years later, in 1723, he replaced the old stronghold with a Baroque chateau — the building that, despite later alterations, still stands on the site today. The Strojetický family of Strojetice held the estate from 1737 to 1763, after which ownership changed hands fairly often.

What does the chateau look like?

It's a single-storey building on a rectangular plan, topped with a mansard roof. The layout follows a long central axis running from the southern entrance — flanked by two gardener's cottages — through to the heart of the chateau, a composition typical of Baroque residences of this size.

What happened to it in the 20th century?

In the second half of the 20th century, mainly during the 1960s, the chateau was converted for use as a youth care and education facility. The renovation was extensive and stripped away most of the original Baroque decoration, so today the building's exterior barely reads as a Baroque residence at all.

Can visitors go inside?

No. The chateau is not open to the public, and its interior is accessible only to the staff and residents of the facility still operating there. Visitors can view the building from the outside, near the entrance to the village.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Terešov Castle located? In the Rokycany District of the Plzeň Region, about 9 km northwest of the town of Zbiroh, at the entrance to the village of Terešov.

When was the chateau built? The current Baroque building went up in 1723, on the site of an earlier stronghold first recorded in 1544.

Is Terešov Castle open to visitors? No — it houses a youth care and education facility and is closed to tourists.

Has the Baroque interior survived? Mostly not. A 1960s renovation, carried out when the building was adapted into a youth facility, removed most of its original Baroque character.