Žleby Castle

Žleby stands on the island of the middle part of the village of the same name. Since 2002, the castle has held the status of a national cultural monument and managed by the National Heritage Institute. The public is accessible from April to October.

The castle was founded in the 13th century by Lichtenburg. The first written mention is found in 1289, when Jindřich of Lichtenburg owned it, and his descendants gradually received the addition of Žlebský of Lichtenburg. The castle grew gradually from a noble family, which had already been divided into individual branches in the late Middle Ages and gradually lost its property.

The turning point in the history of the castle was 1356, when the Czech king bought it and the Roman Emperor Karel IV. Castle became a royal property and was repeatedly stopped in subsequent centuries as collateral in financial transactions to various noble families. During the Hussite wars Žleby experienced difficult times - the Hussites conquered it twice. First they took it from the royal hands in 1421, then the more radical Hussite forces regained it in 1427 and partially defeated it.

During the second half of the sixteenth century, many noble families took place in the possession of the castle. It was only Elizabeth of Nestajov who acquired Žleby into inheritance and thus ensured its further development. At the end of the sixteenth century, the castle underwent a substantial reconstruction from the late Gothic style to the Renaissance castle. His owners were important aristocratic families such as the Chernines of Chudenice, Trček of Lipa and Kaiserstein. From a certain point he became the property of the House of Auerspergs, which he owned until the end of World War II.

The Auerspergs left their own national in the castle. In the middle of the eighteenth century, they did a baroque reconstruction that significantly changed his appearance. More important for today's form, however, was that in the second half of the nineteenth century they carried out a romantic reconstruction in a neo-gothic style. It is this style that creates the face of the Žlebas as we see it today - it highlights the historical roots of the castle in Gothic and complements it with the romantic sentimentality of the Victorian era.

The preserved form of the castle thus reflects its rich history over over six centuries. Majestically, it rises on the island above Doubrava, and every layer of its construction speaks of the period that shaped it - from goth to renaissance and baroque to romantic conception of the past. The National Monument Institute appreciates its building as well as its историческog meanings, which is why it carefully guards it in a limited season and brings it closer to those interested.