Žirovnice Castle

Žirovnice Castle is a Renaissance residence standing in the small town of Žirovnice, in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic, built on the foundations of a medieval stronghold. Despite the word "castle" (or the Czech "hrad") clinging to its name, what visitors find today is a restored, intact palace complex rather than a ruin — a quieter, lesser-known counterpart to the region's more famous chateaux.

Who founded the castle, and how old is it?

The stronghold's roots go back to the 14th century. It is credited to the lords of Hradec, and the earliest written record dates from 1345, when the estate belonged to Oldřich of Hradec. For generations afterward, the site served as a conventional fortified seat, watching over the small settlement growing at its base.

How did the Vencelík family transform the castle?

The turning point came in 1485, when Václav Vencelík of Vrchoviště bought the castle together with the town of Žirovnice. Between 1485 and 1494 he carried out a major rebuilding and expansion that gave the complex roughly the layout it still has today. In 1490 the interiors were decorated with frescoes, some of which survive and now rank among the site's most valuable features. The Vencelík family held the estate until 1544, when it passed to Albrecht of Gutštejn.

When did the fortress become a comfortable residence?

Further building work in 1576–77 and again in 1583–84, though modest in scale, marked the start of a gradual shift from a defensive medieval stronghold toward a more livable Renaissance mansion. That transition mirrors what happened across many Bohemian and Moravian castles of the period, as fortified architecture gave way to residential comfort and display.

What damage did the Thirty Years' War and a later fire cause?

The Thirty Years' War left its mark on Žirovnice. In 1645 Swedish troops occupied the castle, and the fighting around it caused serious damage. Reconstruction only began after 1693 and took years to complete. Centuries later, in 1964, a fire tore through the building and once again badly damaged its structure. This time a full-scale restoration did not begin until 1974; the work, which included conserving the surviving frescoes and architectural details, was finally completed in 1992.

Who looks after the castle today?

Ownership shifted decisively at the start of the 20th century: in 1910 the town of Žirovnice bought the castle and its surrounding estate from Count Leopold Sternberg. It has remained municipal property ever since, a fact that shaped the pace and seriousness of the postwar restoration — the town kept investing in saving the monument rather than letting it decay, unlike the fate of many Czech noble residences after the war.

Frequently asked questions

Is Žirovnice Castle a ruin, or can it be visited as an intact building? It is not a ruin. The complex was fully restored after a 1964 fire, with renovation work completed in 1992, and it stands today as a preserved castle-chateau.

Why is it sometimes called a castle and sometimes a chateau? It began as a 14th-century fortified stronghold, but rebuilding around the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries reshaped it into a Renaissance residence — which is why Czech sources refer to it both as a "hrad" (castle) and a "zámek" (chateau).

What is the highlight of the interiors? The surviving fragments of Renaissance frescoes from 1490, painted during Václav Vencelík of Vrchoviště's rebuilding of the complex, are considered its most valuable decorative feature.

Where exactly is the castle located? In the town of Žirovnice, in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic — an area known for small, well-preserved noble residences away from the main tourist routes.

Who owns and maintains the castle now? The town of Žirovnice has owned it since 1910, when it purchased the estate from the Sternberg family, and the municipality has been responsible for its upkeep and restoration ever since.