Vršovice Castle

Vršovice Castle (Czech: Zámek Vršovice) is a Renaissance-Baroque manor house standing in a bend of the Ohře River, in the village of Vršovice in the Louny district, Ústí nad Labem Region, in the northwest of the Czech Republic.

How old is the settlement behind the castle?

The village of Vršovice is documented as far back as 1268, when King Přemysl Otakar II exchanged it with the Prague bishopric. The first record of a fortified residence on the site, however, dates only from 1419: a moated manor built on an island formed by branches of the Ohře, a layout that doubled as a natural defence. Over the following two centuries the estate passed through several hands — the Sokol of Mor family acquired it in 1517, the Zákostelský of Bílejov family held it from 1598, and Prokop Dvořecký bought it in 1615. The turning point came in 1622, when the estate was purchased by Volf Ilburk of Vřesovice. Together with his brother, he had the old fortified manor rebuilt into a proper residence — the alliance coat of arms of Volf and his wife Alžběta Berková of Dubá still sits above the main portal, together with the year 1628, most likely marking the completion of that rebuilding.

Who owned the castle after the Vřesovice family?

In 1663 the estate passed to the margraves of Baden, who kept it until 1783. It was under Ludwig Georg of Baden that the castle underwent another major overhaul in 1735–1736, when its interior was fitted out with twenty-two rooms. In 1761 the property was inherited by Elisabeth Augusta, which opened the way for the Schwarzenberg family to take over — from 1783 the owner was Prince Johann of Schwarzenberg, and the family administered the estate until the 1924 land reform split off a residual manor holding from the original property. After 1945 the building became municipal property and was used for housing, before passing into private hands after 1989.

What does the castle look like architecturally?

The building follows a four-wing layout around a square courtyard. Its façades are relatively flat, pierced by rectangular windows in a Renaissance-Baroque idiom, and the eastern wing houses the Chapel of the Holy Cross. Distinctive features include arcades along the north wing and on the upper floor of the west wing, while a Baroque tower topped with a cupola rises above the main gate. Inside, stucco ceilings decorated with frescoes survive as a reminder of the residence's former representative role.

Can visitors go inside today?

No — the castle is abandoned and closed to the public. In May 2024 its tower collapsed, a stark sign of how badly the building has deteriorated, even though it remains formally protected as a Czech cultural monument. The estate continues to decay despite occasional partial preservation work. In 2026 the property, covering roughly a hectare and a half on raised ground within a meander of the Ohře, was put up for sale for around 13.9 million Czech korunas.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Vršovice Castle located? In the village of Vršovice, Louny district, Ústí nad Labem Region, northeast of the town of Louny, on raised ground within a bend of the Ohře River.

When did the castle take its current form? The rebuilding of the earlier fortified manor into a residence was most likely completed in 1628 under Volf Ilburk of Vřesovice, though the building underwent further alterations later, notably in 1735–1736.

Is the castle open to the public? No, it is currently inaccessible and in poor structural condition — its tower collapsed in 2024.

Who were the castle's historical owners? After a succession of medieval and early modern noble owners (including the Sokol of Mor and Zákostelský of Bílejov families), the estate belonged to the Vřesovice family, then to the margraves of Baden, and from the late 18th century until 1924 to the Schwarzenberg family.