Svojanov Castle

Svojanov was built in the thirteenth century on a rock spur above the Kretinka to guard the old road between Bohemia and Moravia, and it kept its medieval outline through later centuries: a keep, a palace, a gate and a curtain following the rock. In 1842, after a fire, the owners, the Kriesten family, rebuilt it in the Empire style, so a plastered Empire residential range stands directly against the Gothic masonry and the two periods sit against each other in one courtyard. The castle first passed to the town of Policka in 1910 and the town owns it today, which is unusual. There is an exhibition, a chapel, and a long-standing programme of concerts and theatre in the courtyard through the summer. The village below is tiny and the valley around it is walked.

History

Some sources say the castle was founded around 1224 by the royal burgrave Svéslav of Bořitov, but it was probably founded around 1262 or 1265 as a royal fortress guarding the Trstěnice Trail between Bohemia and Moravia, with both defensive and administrative roles. After the death of Ottokar II in 1278 it passed to Queen Kunigunda and her second husband Záviš of Falkenstein, who enlarged it. It stayed royal property until 1419, belonged to the Lords of Boskovice from 1419 to 1512, and was then sold to the Trčkas of Lípa, who made it a more comfortable Renaissance residence; in the Thirty Years' War it was plundered and partly destroyed, and it declined slowly while remaining inhabited. After a fire in 1842 the Kriesten family had it rebuilt in Empire style. The town of Polička owned it from 1910 to 1953 and has again since 1992, and it has been a protected cultural monument since 1964 (Wikipedia, Svojanov Castle).

What's there

• A medieval outline on a spur - keep, palace and gate following the rock.
• An Empire house inside the walls - the 1842 rebuilding against Gothic masonry.
• Municipal ownership - held by the town of Policka, first from 1910.
• Summer concerts - a long-running programme in the courtyard.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

Practical notes

Guided tours only, seasonal, closed in winter. Event days change the access and ticketing. The village is very small with almost no services. Public transport is thin.

Nearby

Policka and its walled old town are twelve kilometres north.

Key facts