Vysoký Chlumec Castle, Medieval castle in Vysoký Chlumec, Czech Republic
Vysoký Chlumec Castle is a Gothic stone fortress set on a steep rocky hill in the village of Vysoký Chlumec in Bohemia, Czech Republic. It consists of towers, stone walls, and defensive structures that take advantage of the elevated terrain on all sides.
The castle was built in the 14th century and passed through the hands of several Bohemian noble families over the following centuries, including the Lobkowicz family from 1474 onward. During World War II it was seized, and after 1945 it eventually received the status of a protected cultural monument.
The castle is not open to the public, so the Lobkowicz heritage is seen from outside: the name Chlumec comes from the wooded granite hill above the market town. The family kept the castle until World War II, and in 1992 restitution returned it to the Lobkowicz family.
The castle is not open to the public, so visits are limited to views from the town of Vysoký Chlumec below and from the surrounding paths. The granite hill Chlumec rises to about 525 m, roughly 8 km southwest of Sedlčany, and the brewery and open-air museum lie nearby.
The castle is not open to the public. Its owners, the Arco-Zinneberg family, sold it in 1998 to relatives of the Lobkowicz line; Riprand, Count Arco-Zinneberg (1955–2021), lived there with Marie Beatrix, granddaughter of Emperor Charles I, and in 2001 they founded the Patronát Sedlčansko foundation.
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