Březina Chateau, Empire style château in Březina, Czech Republic

Březina Chateau is an Empire-style two-storey rectangular building with a massive central risalit, formed by joining two smaller structures with a middle section. Jáchym of Šternberk built it between 1790 and 1808 near the ruins of a 14th-century castle. An English park around it merges into a game reserve.

A medieval castle stood on a rocky spur in Březina from the 14th century; by 1661 it was recorded as deserted, and only its tower was later reworked in a Romantic spirit. Between 1790 and 1808 Jáchym of Sternberg built the present château near the ruins, joining two smaller buildings with a central section into an Empire-style whole. The Sternbergs held it until 1949; after restitution it passed to Zdeněk Sternberg and then, after his death in January 2021, to his son Filip.

Count Kašpar Maria Šternberk, a naturalist and co-founder of the Museum of the Kingdom of Bohemia, moved his scientific, botanical and palaeontological collections to Březina Chateau and gave his library to the museum. He also laid out a botanical garden here with rare foreign plants, whose remains can still be seen.

Visitors can explore the château through guided tours that provide access to the interior rooms and surrounding gardens. It is advisable to wear comfortable shoes, as the visit includes both indoor and outdoor areas.

Kašpar Maria Šternberk, a naturalist and co-founder of the Museum of the Kingdom of Bohemia, founded a botanical garden at the château with many rare foreign plants; its remnants can still be seen today. Comedian Vlasta Burian spent holidays at the château in the 1930s.