The Horažďovice château is situated on the location of a Gothic fortress built in the 13th century by the Bavarians of Strakonice. In 1292, King Wenceslas II elevated Horažďovice to town status. In 1483, the local demesne became the property of the House of Švihovský of Rýzmberk, which rebuilt the Gothic castle into a Renaissance château. The only remnants of this reconstruction are a small inner courtyard with arcades and fresco paintings and a two-storey château tower.
Under the administration of Půta Švihovský, namely in 1503, water mains from Prácheň were established. They were in use until 1932. Following the Battle of White Mountain (1620), the demesne was seized from the House of Švihovský and acquired a new owner: In 1622 it was bought by Adam of Šternberk. In 1681-1692, the Šternberks rebuilt the château in Baroque style according to the designs of the Italian architect Solomini.
The result was the birth of the Large Hall with fresco paintings, the walling up of the arcades in the courtyard and the building of a château chapel and farm premises. In 1834, the demesne became the property of the Counts of Kinský of Vchynice and Tetov, who did not make any major adaptations. After the World War II, in 1945, the demesne was appropriated.
References:Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.
The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.
These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.