Šternberk Castle was mentioned first time in 1269 and it was built decaces earlier. It was later altered in Renaissance style but suffered damages in Thirty Years War.
Around the year 1700 the estate was bought by Jan Adam Ondřej of Lichtenštejn. The Lichtenštejns owned the castle till the end of the World War II and also realized the last big reconstruction. The reconstruction did not only give the castle todays appearance, but also the first floor was opened for public as a museum due to it. Lichtenštejns lived on the second floor, but only till the end of the World War II.
The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.