Hořovice Castle () is a

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

in the town of

Hořovice Hořovice (; ) is a town in Beroun District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,100 inhabitants. The town is known for the Hořovice Castle. Geography Hořovice is located about southwest of Beroun and southwest ...

in the

Central Bohemian Region The Central Bohemian Region ( ; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in the Czech capital Prague, which lies in the centre of the regio ...

of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

History

It was built in two parts. The so-called "Old Castle" was built in the

Gothic style Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved from Romanesque ar ...

in the 14th century, and the "New Castle" was radically rebuilt and extended in the first half of the 19th century under its owner

Frederick William The name Frederick William usually refers to several monarchs and princes of the Hohenzollern dynasty: * Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg (1620–1688) * Frederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1675–1713) * Frederick William I of ...

's orders and according to the plans of the Kassel architect Gottlob Engelhardt. The castle only got its final shape after further structural changes due to more refurbishings at the beginning of the 20th century, with furniture of the rooms and the interior being carried out in late

Neoclassical style Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...

. The castle served as the primary residence of the Princes of Hanau, since 1867 until the end of the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. They were the descendants of Friedrich Wilhelm I of Hesse from his morganatic marriage to Gertrude Lehmann, who was made Princess of Hanau and Horowitz (Hořovice).

Present

Today, the castle is owned by the state. The New Castle is open to the public and offers sightseeing tours. Since 2001, the castle has been protected as a national cultural monument. The courtyard enclosure is decorated with valuable sculptures by

Matthias Braun Matthias Bernard Braun (Czech: ''Matyáš Bernard Braun'', 24 February 1684 in Sautens near Innsbruck – 15 February 1738 in Prague) was a sculptor and carver active in the Kingdom of Bohemia, one of the most prominent late baroque style scu ...

. The Old Castle houses the Police of the Czech Republic, the Municipal Library and the Information Centre, and offices of a family centre and of the Museum of the Bohemian Karst. A gallery and exposition of Hořovice Region Museum are also located there.

References

External links

*
Entry in the EBIDAT castle database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Horovice Castle Castles in the Central Bohemian Region Museums in the Central Bohemian Region National cultural monuments of the Czech Republic Historic house museums in the Czech Republic Beroun District