Tučapy Castle

Tučapy Castle is a modest, single-storey manor house in South Bohemia, a few kilometres from Soběslav. Empty for years now, the building still carries traces of the several rebuilds that took it from a fortified medieval manor to a 19th-century country residence.

Where exactly is this castle?

The building stands in the village of Tučapy, which together with Dvorce and Brandlín forms a single municipality — Tučapy, in the Tábor district of the South Bohemian Region. The three villages, once independent, were merged administratively in 1963, so although the castle is named after Tučapy rather than Dvorce, the two have belonged to the same local community for decades. Soběslav is about 8 km away, and Tábor around 20 km.

How old is the building?

Its roots go back to a fortified manor house first documented in writing in 1407, when it belonged to Konrád of Tučapy. For centuries the estate passed between minor South Bohemian noble families. In 1623 it was confiscated from Václav Špulíř of Jitry, though his sons later converted to Catholicism and recovered the family property. Ownership subsequently passed through the hands of the Obytecký family of Obytec, the Matyášovec family of Matyášovice, and the Malovec family of Malovice.

When did the manor become a chateau?

The transformation from a fortified house into a residential chateau began in the early 18th century under Antonín Obytecký of Obytec. A more thorough rebuild followed in 1767, commissioned by the then owner Jiří Vavřinec of Escherich. The building only took on its present appearance in 1893, however, when it was remodelled by the Pfeiffer brothers, industrialists from Jablonec nad Nisou — the renovation that gave the facade its current, fairly uniform look.

Who else called it home?

The estate's most notable owner was Count Bedřich Všemír Berchtold of Uherčice (1781–1876), who acquired it after 1797. A physician, traveller and committed patriot, he was among those who helped found the National Museum in Prague. The last private owner, until 1945, was Eliška Weberová, married Kreibichová. After the war the property was confiscated as German-owned, and a decree of 7 December 1945 handed the building to the municipality for use as a school.

What does the architecture look like?

The castle is a single-storey, L-shaped building with small round turrets at the corners. The ground-floor rooms are covered with barrel vaults featuring lunettes, while the first floor retains coved ceilings with stucco decoration dating from the late-19th-century remodelling. An English-style park, laid out on two levels and enclosed by a wall, surrounds the building, extending mainly to its north and east.

Can you visit the castle today?

After the war the building housed first a school, then a care home for the elderly. It has stood empty since 2015, when the retirement home closed. Ownership rests with the South Bohemian Region, which — having no use for the heritage-protected property — agreed to transfer it free of charge to the Tučapy municipality once a strategic investment partner is found. The municipality's plan is to turn the castle into a social-services facility, including elderly care. The building and its grounds have been listed as a protected cultural monument since 21 May 2021. It is not currently open to visitors.

Frequently asked questions

Can you tour Tučapy Castle? No — the building has been closed to visitors since the retirement home there shut down in 2015.

Why is the castle listed under Dvorce rather than Tučapy? Dvorce and Tučapy, together with Brandlín, have formed a single municipality since 1963 — they are three parts of the same administrative community.

Who owned the castle over the centuries? Minor South Bohemian nobility for generations, and from 1797 Count Bedřich Všemír Berchtold of Uherčice. The last private owner, until 1945, was Eliška Weberová.

When did the castle get its current look? In 1893, during a remodelling carried out by the Pfeiffer brothers, industrialists from Jablonec nad Nisou.

Is the castle a protected monument? Yes, the building and its surrounding park have been a listed cultural monument since May 2021.

What's planned for the site? The Tučapy municipality intends to take over the castle from the South Bohemian Region and turn it into a social-services centre once an investment partner is found.