zámek Stráž nad Nežárkou Chateau

The Stráž nad Nežárkou stands on the eastern edge of the town of the same name on the island right above the river Neženka. It is a castle converted into a castle, which is one of the protected cultural monuments of the Czech Republic. The building alternated owners for more than seven centuries and its appearance reflected a rich history of changes in styles and power conditions.

The castle was founded in the second half of the thirteenth century by the lords of the Guard, a branch of the important House of Vitkovci. The first written mention of it dates back to 1284, when Sezema z Hradce was based here. Rod settled in the estate and kept it in his hands for more than two centuries until 1474, when he was inherited by the sister of the last male member. After that, the owners took turns - the castle belonged to Donines, later Šelmberký and was bought by Liběchovský in the early 16th century. At the end of the century he held on to Lobkovice and then Rožmberk, who sold it to Adam II from Hradec in 1596.

An important turning point was when Vilém Slavata was the owner. At that time, later during its ownership or shortly thereafter, the Renaissance reconstruction took place. In 1570 the castle burned down, which damaged it significantly, but was subsequently restored in the late Renaissance style. The Slavatov era lasted until 1693. Since their time, the castle has no longer served as a mansion, but more as an administrative and economic object. In the first half of the eighteenth century he underwent the Baroque reconstruction - first in 1735 he had the knight Jan Petr Jungwirt adapted in Baroque style, later belonged to Berchtolds, Hillgartners and other nobles.

The building of the two-part castle consists of a castle core and a forefront. The castle core protected the wall with a reinforced round bastion in the southeast corner. The dominance is a tower with a razor, which was probably built in the 15th century, although its lower part may be older. The preserved lock consists of a three-wing building with a ground plan of the letter U, which can be entered by a portal under the tower. The square tower converted to bell tower was preserved from the forefront.

In the first half of the twentieth century the castle gained a special prestige: from 1914 to 1930 it was owned by the famous Czech opera singer Ema Destinnová. For several decades, the Guard was the place where the Czech cultural elite met. Today, the castle is protected by the state and remains one of the sights of Henry Hradec, who speaks of the long things of Czech nobility and their architectural preferences.