Tulešice Castle

Tulešice Castle is a Baroque chateau standing in the village of Tulešice, in the Znojmo District of the South Moravian Region, built on the site of a medieval fortified manor once held by the Lords of Lipá. The present building was raised in 1711 by the Záblatský family of Tulešice, and the Baroque-Rococo character it shows today took shape through further rebuilding carried out over the following decades.

Where is Tulešice Castle located?

The castle stands in the small village of Tulešice, in the Znojmo District of the South Moravian Region, in the southeastern part of the Czech Republic, close to the Austrian border. It sits in a quiet rural landscape typical of Moravian castle country, where modest noble residences share the countryside with fields and woodland, and Tulešice itself remains a small settlement without heavy tourist traffic.

What is the history of the castle?

Before the present chateau existed, the site held a medieval fortified manor, or tvrz, that belonged to the Lords of Lipá, one of the more influential Moravian noble families of the period. In 1711, the Záblatský family, who then held the Tulešice estate, replaced it with a new Baroque residence matching their status and ambitions.

The building did not keep its original form for long. It was enlarged and partly rebuilt as early as 1726, and a further, more decisive round of work followed between 1725 and 1743. According to some accounts this campaign was carried out under the Brno architect František Antonín Grimm, with the final changes dated to 1743 - it was this stage that gave the castle much of the appearance it retains today.

In the second half of the eighteenth century, the interiors were decorated with Rococo stucco ornament drawing on classical mythology. Some of this decoration has survived and remains among the more notable features of the building, a mark of the wealth and aspirations of its later owners.

What does the castle look like today?

The castle is a two-storey building topped with a distinctive mansard roof. Its façade is organized around a central projecting bay crowned with a pediment, in front of which stands a projecting entrance portico; pilasters and cornices articulate the elevations, in keeping with the Baroque residential architecture typical of this part of Moravia. The building is surrounded by a park laid out in the eighteenth century, home to 68 tree species - an unusually varied dendrological collection for a small Moravian chateau park.

Can the castle be visited today?

Tulešice Castle is privately owned and currently closed to visitors; the building serves other, private purposes. It can be viewed only from the outside, while walking through the village or its immediate surroundings, but entry to the park and to the building itself is not possible. Anyone planning a tour of castles in the Znojmo area should treat Tulešice as a roadside sight rather than a destination with guided access.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Tulešice Castle located? In the village of Tulešice, in the Znojmo District of the South Moravian Region, in the southeastern Czech Republic.

When was the castle built? The present building was raised in 1711 on the site of an earlier medieval fortified manor, then enlarged in 1726 and again between 1725 and 1743.

Who built the castle? It was built by the Záblatský family of Tulešice; the later, decisive expansion is associated with the architect František Antonín Grimm.

Can visitors tour the castle? No - the castle is private property and closed to the public; it can only be seen from the outside.

What else is there to see around the castle? The surrounding eighteenth-century park, which contains 68 species of trees.