Velká Černá Hať Castle

Velká Černá Hať Castle sits at the edge of a small settlement of the same name, in the municipality of Mladotice, Plzeň-North District, right on the border with neighbouring Chrášťovice. It is not a place that lives off tourist crowds — its appeal lies in the layers of history built into its walls, from a medieval fortified manor to a Baroque country house that is now a protected cultural monument.

How do you get to the castle at Velká Černá Hať?

The settlement lies about 5.5 km from Manětín, in the northern part of the Plzeň-North district. The easiest way in is by car, following local roads between Manětín and Mladotice and turning off onto the narrow lane that runs through Strážiště and Chrášťovice. There is no rail link nearby and bus service is sparse, so a car is effectively the only practical option. It's worth combining the trip with a visit to the chateau in Manětín and the Horní Střela nature park, which stretches along the Střela river valley just next door.

What's the story behind this place?

The first written record of the settlement dates back to 1193, when Dětleb of Potvorov donated the village to the Cistercian monastery in Plasy. The monastery held the estate for nearly four centuries, until financial trouble forced it to sell the property in 1577 to Mikuláš Kozelka of Hřivice. Kozelka built a fortified manor house with a farmyard here — the core around which today's building grew.

The Kozelka family didn't hold onto the estate for long: burdened by debt, they sold it to Havel Hrobčický for 4,400 kopa of silver groschen. The Hrobčický family attached Černá Hať to the neighbouring Všesulov estate and controlled it until 1672 — although during the Thirty Years' War the Plasy monastery tried, unsuccessfully, to reclaim its former property; the Saxon army's invasion of Bohemia derailed the handover despite an earlier royal order.

In 1672 the estate passed to Karel Maxmilián Lažanský of Bukovina, who paid ten thousand gold coins for it and folded it into the sprawling Manětín demesne — the Lažanský family went on to rule Manětín for more than three centuries, right up until the end of the Second World War. It was under their ownership, in the early 18th century, that the older fortified manor gave way to the Baroque country house still standing today.

What will you actually see?

The building is a two-storey structure with rusticated corners and segment-arched windows — Baroque details visible from the outside alone. Inside, closed to visitors, the corridors retain their original barrel vaulting. The main house is flanked by farm wings that once served as cattle sheds, plus a barn — a layout typical of an estate that spent most of its history as a working farm rather than a showpiece residence. The whole complex is listed as a cultural monument under registry number 22183/4-1437, but it remains privately owned and closed to the public; you can only view it from the outside, from the road.

Worth knowing before you go: the surroundings have changed character over time. A large-scale pig farm and a concrete plant now operate right next to the castle, so this stop appeals more to history and architecture enthusiasts than to anyone chasing a picture-postcard countryside scene.

When is the best time to visit?

Since the castle can only be admired from the outside, it makes most sense as one stop on a longer countryside route — ideally in spring or summer, when the Horní Střela nature park and the canyon-like Střela river valley nearby are at their most striking. Autumn adds some colour to the surrounding forests, while winter can make the side roads harder to navigate.

Frequently asked questions

Can you go inside Velká Černá Hať Castle? No. The building is privately owned and closed to visitors — it can only be viewed from the outside.

How old is the castle? The settlement is documented from 1193, but the current Baroque building dates from the early 18th century, built on the site of an earlier 16th-century fortified manor.

Is it a legally protected monument? Yes, the complex is listed as a cultural monument under registry number 22183/4-1437.

What else is worth seeing nearby? The chateau in Manětín (5.5 km away), the Horní Střela nature park with its canyon-like Střela river valley, and the nearby Leština pond.