zřícenina zámku Jištěrpy Ruin

The ruins of the chateau Jištěrpy, located in the village Jištěrpy, part of the village Chotinuves in the district Litoměřice, represent the remains of the original Renaissance chateau built on the basis of the old fortress. The remains of this once representative residence have been protected as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic since 1964.

Jištěrpy has a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages. The village is probably mentioned by 1057, while the feudal residence, the fortress Jištěrpy, first appears in the written sources of 1318 as the property of a man named Vyší. The local residence was gradually owned by several noble families - first by a flag from Jistlarp, later from 1417 to 1454 Peter from Lejen. After that, the chateau is long lost from preserved messages - the last mention of its existence dates back to 1456.

The new bloom comes in the early 16th century. From 1528 to 1543 he owned Jištěrpy Zikmund z Blatna, after which he inherited his sons Habart and Albrecht. It was Albrecht who started an ambitious reconstruction of the old fortress into the Renaissance chateau around 1589, but he did not finish it. In 1593 he sold Jištěrpy to Jan Sezim from Ústí. Construction work continued after 1605 under the leadership of John Sezimov's son George Vilem. But he lost his estate as a result of the post-white mountain confiscation, and Jištěrpy thus became the property of the Jesuit Order.

During the Jesuits, the chateau experienced a new phase of use and building modifications. At the time of the plague, the Jesuits moved teaching from Klementine, Prague. The chateau history of 1680 was infamous, when a death sentence was delivered in the courtyard for several leaders of the subordinate rebellion. Around 1724 the chateau underwent a Baroque reconstruction with the participation of architect Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer.

After the abolition of the Jesuit Order in 1773 the chateau quickly fell. Economic use has damaged it irreversibly. In 1778, the presence of the Prussian army made the situation worse. The attempt to turn into a textile factory failed. A heavily dilapidated building, which was already subject to destruction, was dismantled into building material after 1806.

At the time of its greatest fame, the Jizlarp chateau was a four-wing storey building with vaults on the ground floor and the first floor. There were deep wine cellars under the building, some of which were preserved to this day. The ground floor contained a kitchen, Jesuit refectory and a pillar entrance hall. The first floor connected a stone staircase and dominated a large hall with coat of arms decoration. The quality of processing of stoneware elements was indicative of the funds devoted to the construction. The chateau was accompanied by a ornamental and productive garden with a Baroque chapel of St. Kilián.

Only a few fragments of past fame were preserved today - part of the suspect with reinforced corners, remains of wine cellars and several stoneware elements built into the masonry of the village buildings. Thus, the ruin remains a testament to the complex history of the landscape and ambitions that have changed over the centuries.