Castle Přerov, Medieval castle in Přerov, Czech Republic

Castle Přerov is a four-winged Renaissance chateau from the first quarter of the 17th century, built on the site of a 12th-century castle in the centre of Přerov. Its tower was only completed in 1997, after 225 years. It stands on the town's historic main square and has housed the Jan Amos Komenský Museum since 1888.

The site began as a Gothic castle from the mid-11th century, guarding a trade crossroads and first recorded in writing in 1253; it was devastated during the Hussite wars. From 1487 the Pernštejn family rebuilt it as a castle, and Karel Starší ze Žerotína had it enlarged in 1612–1615. In 1918 the Magnis family sold it to the town, which restored it for the museum.

The castle houses collections focused on the region's natural history and the people who lived here over time. Visitors encounter exhibitions that show how the local landscape and its inhabitants shaped each other.

Plan to spend time exploring multiple levels inside and prepare for uneven stairs and steep passages that connect different areas. You will find your way more easily by starting from lower levels and moving upward through the exhibition spaces.

The castle tower was only completed in 1997, 225 years after it was begun. It now holds an exhibition on the secret of bell tone and views of Přerov. The museum also runs ORNIS, a specialised ornithological station described as the only one of its kind in Central Europe, in a separate building by Michalov park.