Nižbor was known for centuries by two other names, Miesenburg and Nižburk, before its current one settled in. King Přemysl Otakar II founded it in the 13th century, and it remained a royal castle for over three centuries, pledged out again and again along the way. That run of royal ownership ended in 1601, when Konrád Šanovec ze Šanova took the castle over and rebuilt it in Renaissance style. Later owners included the Šternberks, the Kolovrats, the Schwarzenbergs and the Valdštejns, the last of whom converted it into a Baroque chateau. It carries protection today as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic.