Polkovice Castle

Polkovice Castle (Zámek Polkovice) is a modest Baroque manor house on the flat Haná plain in central Moravia, standing at the edge of the village of Polkovice near Kojetín and Přerov. It began life as an administrative farm building for the Olomouc Chapter, and today it belongs to the local municipality, serving cultural and administrative purposes.

How old is the village of Polkovice?

The village itself is first recorded in 1275, when a minor nobleman named Jan of Polkovice appears in documents, followed a year later by Dalibor of Polkovice. From 1365, half of the village belonged to the Olomouc Chapter, and in time the whole settlement passed into its hands — a typical outcome of the decline of the lesser nobility after the mid-14th century.

When was the castle built?

The castle itself came much later, in the first half of the 18th century, most likely connected to a major fire that destroyed much of the village in 1711. That year the Chapter rebuilt the farmyard's outbuildings, and the castle was added in the years that followed. Above the courtyard entrance a portal still bears the founder's coat of arms, alongside stone tablets carrying a Latin inscription dated 1711.

Who founded it?

The founder was Vilém Vojtěch, Count Libštejnský of Kolovrat — a canon and provost of the Olomouc Chapter. His coat of arms appears above the entrances to both the farmyard buildings and the castle, clearly marking him as the builder of the whole complex. The castle was never a noble residence in its own right; it served as the seat of the Chapter's farm administration, which explains its modest, single-story form without elaborate ornamentation.

What does the building look like?

It is a single-story Baroque building on a rectangular ground plan, with a three-sided projecting bay at the entrance, joined to an adjoining farmyard. The whole complex sits away from the village center, near the road leading out toward Oplocany and Tovačov, roughly 5 km from Kojetín.

What happened to the castle after 1948?

The Olomouc Chapter owned the estate until 1948. After postwar nationalization, the property passed to the state: the castle building housed the local national committee offices and a post office, while the farmyard was handed to a state agricultural cooperative. The building survived this period and was later restored.

Who owns the castle today?

The castle now belongs to the municipality of Polkovice. Since its restoration, the building has served cultural and administrative functions for the community. It is not a conventional tourist attraction — there are no fixed opening hours, and access to the interior is occasional, tied to local events, or possible only by prior arrangement with the municipal office.

Where exactly is Polkovice?

Polkovice is a small village of around 500 residents on the flat Haná plain, in the Přerov District of the Olomouc Region. It lies about 16 km southwest of Přerov and roughly 23 km south of Olomouc. Besides the castle, the village's other notable landmark is the Church of Saint Bartholomew.

Frequently asked questions

Can visitors tour Polkovice Castle? There is no regular visitor route or fixed opening hours. The building is municipally owned and opens only occasionally, usually alongside local cultural events — it's worth checking with the municipal office in advance.

Who built the castle? Vilém Vojtěch, Count Libštejnský of Kolovrat, a canon and provost of the Olomouc Chapter, built it in the first half of the 18th century, likely following the village fire of 1711.

What architectural style is it? A single-story Baroque building on a rectangular plan with a three-sided entrance bay, connected to a former farmyard complex.

What was in the castle after World War II? Until 1948 the estate belonged to the Olomouc Chapter. Afterward it housed a local national committee office and a post office, while the farmyard passed to a state agricultural cooperative.

How far is the castle from Přerov? Polkovice lies about 16 km southwest of Přerov, and the castle itself stands at the edge of the village, along the road toward Oplocany and Tovačov.