Zámek Černá Hora

Černá Hora Castle rises on a hill above the small town that shares its name, in the Blansko district of the South Moravian Region, a short drive north of Brno. Few visitors expect a working brewery to be the main reason people detour here, but that pairing — a centuries-old aristocratic residence and one of Moravia's oldest breweries at the foot of the hill — is exactly what defines Černá Hora today.

When was the castle founded?

Construction began at the end of the 13th century, between 1279 and 1298, commissioned by Matouš z Černé Hory, who held the office of Moravian chamberlain. When he died without a male heir, ownership passed through several hands before settling, from the mid-14th century, with the Boskovice family — later known by the branch name Černohorský z Boskovic — who held the estate until the close of the 16th century.

How did the castle change over the centuries?

The original Gothic stronghold lost its purely defensive character in 1561, when Albrecht Černohorský z Boskovic added a forecourt and remodeled the core of the building into a Renaissance residence. The ground floor of the west wing still preserves the vaulted arcaded halls built during this phase.

A fire in 1724 (some sources give 1726) proved far more damaging than any siege. The castle burned and then simply sat abandoned for nearly a century, deteriorating as a ruin until 1818. Partial Baroque-style rebuilding followed only in the 1830s.

The estate's fortunes changed again in 1857, when it was bought by Henrietta Pereira-Arnstein. Between 1859 and 1861 the Vienna-based, Danish-born architect Theophil Hansen carried out a pseudo-Renaissance reconstruction, which her son-in-law, Count Mořic Friess of Friessensburg, completed. The result is essentially the silhouette visitors see today.

In 1945 the property was confiscated from the Friess family, and the building was converted into a care institution — a role it has kept ever since. It now operates as a retirement home administered by the Blansko district's social welfare department.

What is worth seeing around the castle?

Right beside the castle stands a Baroque burial chapel from 1720, framed by arcaded side galleries, and a Baroque statue of the Archangel Michael from 1726 stands in front of the main entrance. Above the whole complex spreads a landscaped castle park, crossed by a restored Way of the Cross that climbs to the Chapel of the Holy Family on the hilltop.

Can visitors go inside the castle?

Because the building now functions as a care home, there are no regular guided tours of the interior — it isn't set up for standard sightseeing. The park and hillside around it, however, remain freely open to walk through.

Far more accessible is what sits at the foot of the hill: the Černá Hora Brewery, the oldest continuously operating brewery in Moravia. Indirect references to brewing on this spot go back to the 14th century, while the first direct documentary evidence of a brewery here dates to 1530. Regular tours run every Saturday at 2 pm, last around 90 minutes, and include beer tasting in the cellars; other dates are available by advance booking for groups of at least eight. The brewery grounds also host a bowling alley, a gym, a sauna/solarium, massage services, and a tavern called Šenk U Prokuristy.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Černá Hora Castle? In the town of Černá Hora, Blansko district, South Moravian Region, Czech Republic, on a hill overlooking the town center.

Is Černá Hora Castle connected to the country of Montenegro? No. The name is a coincidence of language — "Černá Hora" is simply Czech for "Black Mountain," and it also happens to be the Czech name for the country of Montenegro. The castle described here is an entirely separate site in the Moravian district of Blansko.

Can you tour the inside of the castle? Not in the usual sense — the building is used as a retirement home. The surrounding park and the hill with its Way of the Cross remain open to the public.

What else is worth visiting nearby? The Černá Hora Brewery at the foot of the hill, one of the oldest in Moravia, offering guided tours of the brewhouse and beer tastings in its cellars.