Mnichovo Hradiště Château

The first important owner of the château was the leader of the Czech estate and Protestant opposition, Václav Budovec of Budov, who had the residence converted to a representative château in 1606. After he was executed, the property was confiscated and the estate was acquired by a prominent nobleman, Albrecht of Valdštejn, whose family owned the château until 1945. Mnichovo Hradiště thus became the centre of the entire Valdštejn estate for a long time. At the turn of the 17th century, the Renaissance château was converted into today’s Baroque look. In 1709-1710, the development of the château estate was competed with additional buildings - stables, riding school, carriage house, and salla terrena. Thus, an exceptionally valuable complex of Late Baroque architecture in Bohemia was created. 

In the Footsteps of the Valdštejn family and Casanova

The château area is an example of a grand Baroque noble residence that has been preserved almost in its original form. Visitors can take a tour and see the rich interior furnishings, a collection of china, a château theatre with original props from the 18th century, and a Duchcov library with 22 thousand volumes, managed by Giacomo Casanova. The stone collection of the Church of St. Anne is where the remains of famous warrior Albrecht of Valdštejn rest. In terms of art and history, the château picture gallery is unbelievably valuable; it is an impressive interior unit with 111 paintings, with many excellent and signed artworks mostly by Dutch artists. The exposition related to the 180th anniversary of the meeting of the “St. Alliance” commemorates the important social event, a meeting of the rules of Austria, Russia, and Prussia at the Mnichovo Hradiště Château in 1833. It presents extensive collections of military and hunting weapons, theatre costumes, documents, and gifts.