Český Šternberk

The castle was founded in 1241 by Zdeslav of Divišov, whose family took the name Šternberk (Sternberg in German). In 1465, Zdeslav led the rebellion against King George of Poděbrady, after which the royal army captured the castle and plundered it. Between 1470 and 1520, the family rebuilt the castle and built modern fortifications. After the end of the Thirty Years’ War, the core of the castle was converted into a chateau. In 1712, the Holice branch of the Šternberk family became extinct and Český Šternberk changed several owners in the following 130 years, until 1841, when Zdeněk Šternberk of the Konopiště branch became it owner. In 1948, the castle was confiscated by the communist regime, but it was returned to the Šternberk family in 1989 and it has been in their hands since.

The fact that Český Šternberk has been the seat of the Šternberk family since its foundation makes it unique among Czech monuments. No other castle has served the function of the representative seat of one single family for so long and in continuity, and all the stages of the family history have been preserved in its architecture. The castle’s location on a narrow ridge largely prevented its lateral expansion and its current appearance is thus primarily a result of adding new parts to the already existing ones. In the 17^th century, this process resulted in its current, on the first glance uniform chateau structure, although it contains all the previous architectural phases, including the original towers, walls and the castle palace. The representative Baroque interiors were also built in the 17^th century, referencing the family’s ancient history. The outer fortifications have been partly preserved. The forward fortified tower on the adjacent ridge is one of the most valuable structures of its kind in Bohemia.