What you can experience
Six and a Half Century at a Prestigious Address
From a Gothic fortress carved into sandstone rock, through the Renaissance, Baroque, and Classicism, back to Gothic. Discover the complex history of Ctěnice Castle.
We have no idea when the structure was built. But the earliest information we have about the site dates back to 1372, when Prague citizen Jan Zeiselmeister purchased the already-built fortress, protected by marshy meadows and a moat carved into the rock. We have no idea how much he paid for it. The fortress was built on a pentagonal floor plan, near the left tributary of today's Vinořský Creek, which fed the artificially created moat separating the fortress area on the rock from the valley terrace. The builder certainly wasn't short on funds, as this is an architecturally exceptional structure. Just take a look at its faithful model in our exhibition.
We have documented the owners of the property from contemporary sources. It's a sort of list of historical celebrities. The Hrzán family, the Losy family of Losinthal, the Hazmburk family, the Windischgrätz family, the Schoeller family, and Adam the Younger of Waldstein all lived here.
A sad period in the building's history was the time after 1945, when no one took care of it. It served as a state farm, and when that closed down, the compound faced destruction due to complete neglect. Photographs from the 1970s and 1980s show you what it looked like back then. Fortunately, a complete restoration of the compound took place between 1997 and 2004. In the exhibition, you can see documentary photographs showing the progress of the castle's restoration. There are painted elements of the original beam ceilings from the roof truss repairs, as well as exhibits of ceramics, glass, and a collection of blacksmith and locksmith works.