Zámek Nelahozeves
Landmark · Nelahozeves · Czechia
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A Renaissance castle above the Vltava holding one of Central Europe's finest private art collections: Old Master paintings by Bruegel, Rubens, Veronese, Cranach the Younger and Panini, assembled by the Lobkowicz family over five centuries.
The castle took sixty years to build, from 1553 to 1613, planned with four wings and four corner pavilions shaped like bastions. Its north wing carries elaborate sgraffito, scratched through layered plaster into scenes from mythology and the Old Testament after designs by Virgilius Solis and Albrecht Durer. The Lobkowicz family bought the estate in 1623, when Polyxena Lobkowicz acquired it from the granddaughter of its original builder, Florian Griespek. Inside, the tour runs through the Lobkowicz collections: Old Master paintings, the family library, hunting trophies and an armoury built up across generations. The Nazis confiscated the castle in 1939 and the Communist state seized it again in 1948; it was restituted to the family only in 1993. The Lobkowiczs reopened the collections to the public in 1997, with President Vaclav Havel in attendance.
What you see
Elaborate sgraffito, scratched into layered plaster, covers the castle's north wing with scenes from mythology and the Old Testament, and a stone bridge of arches crosses the old moat to the fortress-like corner towers.
Practical
Closed on Mondays. A free car park sits in front of the castle. The site is a certified Cyklisté vítáni (Cyclists Welcome) stop, with bike charging and on-site accommodation for cyclists.
castleart collectionrenaissancemuseumcyclist friendly
Cafés nearby
Food nearby
Climbs, views & nature nearby
History & landmarks nearby
Common questions
- Why stop at Zámek Nelahozeves on a bike ride?
- A Renaissance castle above the Vltava holding one of Central Europe's finest private art collections: Old Master paintings by Bruegel, Rubens, Veronese, Cranach the Younger and Panini, assembled by the Lobkowicz family over five centuries.
- Where is Zámek Nelahozeves?
- Zámek Nelahozeves is in Nelahozeves, Czechia (Czech Republic).