The Buchlov royal castle was built in the first half of the 13th century, but archaeological finds suggest that the area around Buchlov castle was settled in the oldest periods of civilization.

The first castle was created with two massive prismatic towers situated on opposite parts of a rocky plateau. A high palace on the southern part of the yard was built at the same time and it was surrounded by a wall. The second construction period occurred in the 1370s. Another tower was built and on the second floor of this tower there was a chapel that held the most valuable objects of early Gothic architecture of the day.

The chapel was destroyed and then abandoned when Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus captured the castle in the second half of the 15th century. It was replaced by two large rooms serving as store and depository. And although the castle was a permanent possession of a king until the 16th century, it was often given in pawn to aristocratic clans. Nobles of Cimburk owned it at the end of the 15th century. At that time a representative chivalric hall was built. In the year 1511 the castle was given to a private holder, and from the 16th to 18th century various Moravian clans changed its ownership. The most important were the nobles of Žerotín, Zástřizl and Petřvald families. Constructional work continued in Renaissance style. Some parts of the castle were added in baroque style. However, in 1701, the Buchlovice Castle was finished and in 1751 the owners, the Berchtold noble family, occupied it for more than two centuries.

A family museum was built in the castle thanks to the brothers Leopold Berchtold and Bedřich Berchtold. Leopold Berchtold, who was foreign minister of Austria-Hungary at the beginning of World War I. He was buried at Buchlau after his death in November 1942. In 1945, after the end of World War II, the castle was confiscated on the bases of Beneš decrees and became property of the Czechoslovak state. Later it was added to the list of national cultural monuments. Nowadays it is open to public, and many cultural programs are held each year.

Saint Barbara’s Chapel also called Barborka came into existence in the 13th century, and it was used as a funeral crypt for holders of a manor of Buchlov. Later it was rebuilt and finished in the year 1672. It is built in early baroque style on a cruciform plan with a central cupola. It is one kilometer away from Buchlov castle. Pilgrimage divine services are held to this day.

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Founded: 13th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Czech Republic

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4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Alfonz Liska (19 months ago)
Castle is easy to access by car, parking cost 2 euros, than is line 5 min walk. You can have coffee at the premises, there is little art museum. Payment with credit card possible. Just 5 min from main road. Worth visit.
AXZ travel (2 years ago)
Nice castle, quite well known within the Czech Republic. They have several tours and even with kids of the age of 3 years you'll enjoy trip. Overall there are 3 main tours and then some more (but not so often) if I am not mistaken, there is one tour per 10-15 minutes. You don't need to buy tickets in advance. Maybe just for weekends when there will be more people coming, but when I went there on mid august, there was still approximately 10 places left for each tour. For English speakers, some tours will give you an English text so that's quite nice to have. As for a pictures, our guide told us that we can take them, but we cannot use flashlight (even tho the sign right below stairs says no pictures at all). The guide we had knew really a lot, and was able to answer all questions we gave her. As a bonus, there is a restaurant inside the castle. Not very big choice of food, but when you're hungry, you'll eat anything.
Ольга Одарченко-Кирина (2 years ago)
It's a beautiful tower but if you are with small kids you will not be allowed to go inside the castle as it's possible to do only with a guide in a group and kids can disturb people around. The area "outside" the castle is free to visit. It's really small but you will find a lot of corners for good photo shoot. Near the castle is a place for parking (free) and cafe with simple food. There you can pay ONLY with CASH!!! So take enough of cash money. The road from parking to castle is easy, so you can go there with kids for sure.
Doug Warren (3 years ago)
It was an amazing place to visit and the views from the lookout were just plain WOW! The guide was very informative and when they heard me speaking English, a person came to me and handed me a booklet in English. I was able to follow along with what was being said. The Castle is out of the way, but so worth visiting. I can't give it a full 5 stars because there are renovations underway and there was no gift shop or place to buy things. Definitely a place to return to.
Alexandra Junaskova (5 years ago)
Interesting castle where you can witness the architectural flow of time. Closed in winter. Stylish local pub. And horses around. Must see.
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