Zbiroh Castle

Zbiroh Castle is one of the oldest noble seats in the Czech lands and the place where Alfons Mucha spent sixteen years painting his monumental cycle, the Slav Epic. The chateau stands in the Rokycany District of the Plzeň Region, in the small town of Zbiroh, overlooking the old Nuremberg trade route that once carried merchants between Prague and western Europe.

How old is the fortress at Zbiroh?

The site's history reaches back to the late 12th century, with Břetislav of Zbiroh, of the Sulislavci family, credited as the founder of the original stronghold. A stone fortification rose here in the 13th century, and some historians consider it the oldest noble castle on Czech soil. Its position on a major trade artery made it a valuable prize, and the fortress passed repeatedly into royal and aristocratic hands over the following centuries.

Why is it sometimes called the "castle of three emperors"?

Among its historic owners were King Přemysl Otakar II and, later, Charles IV himself, the ruler remembered as the Father of the Homeland and founder of much of medieval Prague. The estate then passed to his son, Sigismund of Luxembourg, and later still to Rudolf II. This succession of crowned owners is why the residence is sometimes recalled today as a seat tied to three emperors, a reminder of how central Zbiroh once was to power in the Bohemian Crown.

What is the Mucha connection?

In 1912, the painter Alfons Mucha moved into the chateau's east wing with his wife and two children and lived there until 1928. He chose the great hall, lit by a glass roof, as his studio, a space large and bright enough for canvases of extraordinary scale. It was here, commissioned by the American businessman Charles R. Crane, that Mucha worked for years on a cycle of twenty large-format paintings tracing the history of the Slavic peoples. He handed the finished canvases over to the city of Prague as they were completed, a process that stretched across nearly two decades, from 1910 to 1928.

What technical curiosities does the castle hold?

Zbiroh is known for a 163-metre well, cut into the bedrock in the fortress's defensive era and considered the deepest castle well in Europe. The grounds also preserve a free-standing watchtower counted among the oldest structures of its kind in the Czech Republic.

What can visitors see today?

The chateau is open to the public year-round with guided tours along two separate routes. The chateau circuit leads through the historic interiors, including Mucha's studio hall and the so-called Masonic Hall, while the castle circuit explores the oldest surviving part of the complex, taking in the deep well and the watchtower.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Zbiroh Castle? In the Rokycany District of the Plzeň Region, in western Bohemia, in the town of Zbiroh.

Why is the castle famous worldwide? Because it is where Alfons Mucha created his most celebrated work, the Slav Epic, while living on site for sixteen years.

Can visitors see Mucha's actual studio? Yes, the great glass-roofed hall where the cycle was painted is included on the chateau tour route.

What is the castle's best-known technical feature? Its 163-metre well, cited as the deepest castle well in Europe.

Was Zbiroh ever a royal residence? Yes, its historic owners are said to have included Přemysl Otakar II, Charles IV, and Sigismund of Luxembourg.