Zelená Hora

Zelená Hora Castle sits on a hill right next to the small town of Nepomuk, within the village of Klášter, in south-western Czechia. It's a modest, low-key site — easy to confuse with the far more famous Baroque pilgrimage church of St. John of Nepomuk on a hill of the exact same name near Žďár nad Sázavou, a UNESCO listing designed by Jan Santini. This Zelená Hora is a much smaller manor complex, and its fame rests on the events that took place there rather than on its architecture.

Where did the site come from, and who built it?

The story starts with a fortified church that stood on top of the hill as early as the 13th century. During the Hussite Wars, in 1419, the hilltop was refortified to give local Catholic nobles a defensible stronghold. Once the Hussite conflicts died down, the actual castle on the site is credited to Hynek Krušina of Švamberk, a member of a family that controlled the area around Nepomuk for generations. Later remodelling gave the residence the early Baroque look that partly survives today.

What happened here on 28 November 1465?

That date is the single most important entry in the castle's history. In the so-called Black Hall, an assembly of Catholic Bohemian lords formed an alliance against King George of Poděbrady, remembered as the Zelenohorská unie — the Green Mountain Union. Its members pledged mutual support for five years against a king they saw as too accommodating toward the Hussites. The meeting cemented this otherwise minor castle's place in Czech political history as the birthplace of one of the sharper power struggles of the late medieval period.

How did the castle end up in literary history?

Its second brush with fame came centuries later. In 1817, while working for owner Count Hieronymus Colloredo-Mansfeld, castle official Josef Kovář was tidying an old archive when he found two damaged parchment leaves. The text on them — including a passage on the Judgment of Libuše — was catalogued as the Zelenohorský manuscript. The find landed at exactly the right moment for the Czech National Revival, a movement eager for proof of an ancient, sophisticated native written culture. The manuscript quickly became one of its symbols, even though doubts about its authenticity surfaced almost immediately. Scholars now agree it was a 19th-century forgery, most likely produced within the same circle of revivalists who championed it, but the dispute ran for decades and became a chapter of Czech intellectual history in its own right. The castle grounds are also said to hold the oldest known water supply system in the Czech lands.

What is there to see on site?

Under normal circumstances, the castle offers guided tours by appointment along with two permanent exhibitions: one on the castle's own history, the other dedicated to the TV series "Black Barons" ("Černí baroni"), parts of which were filmed here. Visitors can see original furnishings, various printed editions of the manuscript, military uniforms from the show, and period and present-day photographs of the interiors. Check the current status before planning a trip — the castle has been closed for renovation since November 2025, reopening planned for the 2027 season.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the same Zelená Hora as the UNESCO church near Žďár nad Sázavou?

No. These are two separate sites sharing a name. The Church of St. John of Nepomuk on Zelená Hora near Žďár nad Sázavou is Jan Santini Aichel's UNESCO-listed masterpiece. This castle lies dozens of kilometres away, in Klášter next to Nepomuk, with no architectural or ownership link to the church.

What is the Zelenohorský manuscript?

Two leaves of old parchment discovered at the castle in 1817, presented at the time as an ancient text describing, among other things, the Judgment of Libuše. It caused excitement during the National Revival but is now firmly established as a period forgery.

Can visitors tour the castle right now?

No — the site has been closed for renovation since November 2025, with reopening planned for the 2027 season. Check with the Nepomuk tourist information centre for the latest status.

Where exactly is the castle located relative to Nepomuk?

On a hill directly above the town of Nepomuk, administratively part of the village of Klášter, in the Plzeň Region of south-western Czechia.