Loučen Castle, Nymburk, Czech Republic

Loučeň Castle was built on the site of a former medieval fortress. The first mention of this fortress dates back to 1223 and was discovered in the testimonial of the Prague bishop Peregrinus. This year is also considered the first official mention of the village of Loučeň. From that time until 1618, several lords and peasants alternated as owners of the fortress.

In 1612, the castle of Loučeň and other adjacent villages were owned by Václav Berka of Dubá the Elder, a very wealthy nobleman who did not sympathize with Emperor Ferdinand II. Therefore, in 1620, after the Battle of White Mountain, Václav Berka left the country and the castle was confiscated in 1622 due to his participation in the anti-Habsburg uprising. A year later, all of Berka's property was purchased by Adam of Valdštejn.

During the Thirty Years' War, all the surrounding villages in the Nymburk region were heavily affected by the invasion of armies. The dilapidated fortress in Loučeň was not renovated until 1704-1713, when Karel Arnošt of Valdštejn began to transform it into a Baroque castle. A chapel was also added to the castle, which was later converted into the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. After Karel Arnošt's death, his daughter Eleanora took over the estate, and she passed it on to her daughter Maria Anna. She was very determined, persecuted evangelicals, and tightened the requirements of serfdom. Maria Anna married Josef Fürstenberg, and thus the ownership of Loučeň Castle passed from the Valdštejn family to the Fürstenbergs.

Castles and fortifications in Czech Republic

User Reviews

GuyZa (10 months ago)
An amazing looking place with marvelous grounds

surya renga (2 years ago)
Went there for our friend wedding. The place is quite and beautiful and has restaurant. Prefer taking a own vehicle to reach there

Jakub Vimr (2 years ago)
Excellent guided tour. I think I have never been on any better. And I've been on so many before:) Also nice park with attractions for kids.

Tinoy James (2 years ago)
The staff for the first few days were absolutely amazing. The children's room had a few hazards, which inevitably led to a girl splitting her head open on a table that didn't have the plastic covering on a metal end, some tables had the plastic while others didn't. The toy box had nails sticking out. When the girl split her head, they removed the hazards upon my wife's request. I was in the room playing with the kids when this happened. The staff, who hadn't been there yet this week, were unprofessional. Saying things like "if you have a personal problem you should go home" or "If they would've watched their kids this wouldn't have happened" A simple apology would've sufficed, but they tried to save face instead. They have since decided to close the children's area instead of making it safer. Before this with the staff previously, it was the best hotel service I'd experienced. The cleaning ladies, the kitchen ladies and people at the front were absolute angels to my children, prior to this. It seems to me it was upper management who were the rude ones. Regardless, due to regulations in Czech Republic, anything labeled as a children's area should be free of hazards and should be frequently inspected by staff. I had planned to come back next year and rent out a better room, but unless there is some type of apology, I will not be returning. This would've been a five start review before this experience. I hope they find some way to rectify this experience, I'd love to give them the opportunity to apologize and compensate for their rudeness. If they do act professional, I definately would change my review. As of now, I won't be returning annually as I had planned.

P4tricks (2 years ago)
Enjoyed a very nice wedding here, might be a bit pricey, but that is to be expected with location...

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

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