Zámek Miletín Chateau

The castle in Miletín in Podkrkonoší is a Baroque rectangular building with two-story projections on all facades. On the north side it has an arcade passageway with a balcony and a Baroque portal.

In the twelfth century, an early medieval fortified settlement, or possibly a fortified princely court, stood in the location of the historical core of Miletín. The first written mention dates from 1124. The fortified settlement was divided into two parts and measured about twelve hectares. Its rampart extended all the way to today's Tyršova ulice, where residential houses were later built into it.

At the beginning of the thirteenth century, Miletín belonged to a nobleman Zbraslavv, son of Vchyn. He bequeathed it to his wife Domaslavě in his final will. In 1241, she donated it to the order of German knights. The order built a commandery here approximately in the space between the castle and the Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. Some cellars, including one of late Romanesque or early Gothic origin, may be remnants of it. In the presbytery of the church, masonry of a chapel has been preserved, which was probably part of the commandery.

In 1403, the order pledged the estate to Beneš of Choustník. After Beneš's death, Jan Městecký of Dobruška and Opočna seized Miletín. The commandant sued him for this before the provincial court, but we do not know the outcome of the dispute.

From the middle of the fourteenth century, the Lichtenburks owned part of Miletín. According to historian August Sedláček, they had a demesne farm with a fortified house there. In 1437, Hynek Krušina of Lichtenburk received the entire market town from Emperor Sigismund as a pledge. He thus united both parts into one estate. In 1520, Miletín was controlled by Burian Trčka of Lípa. His son Jan sold the estate in 1541 to Zikmund of Smiřice for six thousand marks of Czech pennies. Miletín then included a fortified house with a demesne farm, the market town, and a number of surrounding villages.

A record from 1565 mentions a fortified house, while a record by Albrecht of Wallenstein from 1628 already mentions a castle.

The present castle was founded in 1693 by Jiří Fridrich, count of Oppersdorf. Still largely under construction, it burned down in 1699. In 1703, a new contract for its completion was drawn up. In 1753, the castle roof burned. Josef Jan Sosnovec, who held Miletín from 1766 to 1780, had the castle repaired. At the main entrance, he had an alcove rebuilt and two lions with his coat of arms made on it.

In the great fire of 1846, the castle burned down to the vaults in the ground floor. The very next year it was restored in the Empire style. The owner Hynek Václav Falge had it rebuilt and repaired after the fire. After 1882, Prince Alexander of Schönburg-Hartenstein tastefully renovated the castle.