Zámek Semín s pivovarem Brewery building

The castle Semín is originally a Renaissance building, later rebuilt in Baroque style. It was created in the 16th century in the village of Semín as an administrative building of the estate of Wilhelm II of Pernštejn. The building is important with its history associated with brewing and as the home of architect Josef Gočár.

Vilém II. z Pernštejna, which Semín purchased in 1497, had a Renaissance mansion built east of the faded local fortress in the early 16th century. It served as the administrative center of the western part of its vast estate and as a hunting lodge. After the Emperor Leopold I. became owner in 1691, the building went through a Baroque reconstruction and was extended by a brewery. In 1723, a granary was set up on the brewery floor. The object lost its administrative purpose in 1780, but it served the administrative needs of the brewery until 1855.

Architecturally it is a single-storey double-wing building made of mixed, mostly stone masonry. The main building is covered by a halibut roof, the wings have a valb roof; They're both covered in bobbies. The most distinctive element is the octave bell above the shield. Historical sources suggest that the sign PIVOVAR used to be in the shield and in the beginning of the year 1698, which however is not visible after the facade decaying.

Property ownership has changed over the centuries. After William II of Pernštejn and the Emperor Leopold I, he was the owner of the last brewery in 1918. In 1926 the operation was closed due to the impoliteness and the building was subsequently used as a warehouse for a Pardubice and Chrudim brewery or for residential purposes. Since 2003 the castle has been listed on the list of cultural monuments. It was acquired in 2017 by an investment company which initiated the recovery process.

The place is connected to a significant event of 13 March 1880, when architect Josef Gočár was born here. His father Alois Gočár served as a brewery. There's a commemorative plaque on the building today reminiscent of this personality. The technical attractions include a unique boar Valach from the first half of the 19th century, which underwent reconstruction in 2024.

The current owner plans to build an exhibition of brewery museum, mini brewery, restaurant Šenk U Viléma and accommodation with beer baths. The aim is to build on the tradition of brewing beer in Semín and to promote tourism near the National Stallion Kladruba nad Labem, which is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Semín Castle represents a valuable document of economic and administrative development of the Czech countryside from the Renaissance to the modern era. Visiting this place offers a unique insight into the history of the brewery and the opportunity to get acquainted with the link of architect Josef Gočár in an authentic environment.