Merode estate was first time mentioned in 1170 and it was originally built by ministrial Werner from Kerpen. The first mention of castle dates from 1263. The current appearance was created mainly by Marshal Jean Philippe Eugène de Merode-Westerloo in the early 18th century. It was partially destroyed during the Second World War and rebuilt. The another big fire in 2000 destroyed 80% of interior and the restoration is still going on. The garden is used for events.
Střekov Castle (Schreckenstein) is perched atop a cliff above the River Elbe, near the city of Ústí nad Labem. It was built in 1316 for John of Luxembourg, the father of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, to guard an important trade route to Germany. After changing hands several times, the castle was acquired by the Lobkowicz family in 1563. Its strategic importance led to occupations by Imperial Habsburg, Saxon, and Swedish forces during the Thirty Years' War, as well as successive sieges by Austrian and Prussian armies during the Seven Years' War.
Although Střekov Castle was heavily damaged during those conflicts and abandoned as a military installation by the end of the 18th century, the 1800s saw many poets and artists visiting the castle, drawn by a new trend of interest in romantic ruins.