Castle of Maleč, Empire style château in Maleč, Czech Republic.

The Castle of Maleč is an Empire style country house located in the village of Maleč in the Czech lands. The building displays the ordered facades and classical proportions typical of this architectural period.

A late Renaissance château was built in 1602 by Jan Beneda of Nečtiny on the foundations of an earlier fortress. After 1827 František Xaver of Auersperg had it enlarged and remodelled in the Empire style. In 1862 it was bought by the politician František Ladislav Rieger, whose father-in-law František Palacký stayed here in summer and wrote much of his History of the Czech Nation.

The castle houses the Memorial to F. L. Rieger and F. Palacký, opened with the restored interiors in 2018. Displays include period furniture and Palacký's study, where he worked on his History of the Czech Nation.

The house is best visited during the warmer months when it opens to guests on a regular schedule. It helps to check opening times in advance to ensure you can see the rooms and grounds without interruption.

The castle's oldest surviving element is the stucco ceiling decoration in the main salon, a remnant of the late Renaissance building Jan Beneda z Nečtin raised in 1602 on the foundations of an earlier fortress. The English park around it is enclosed by a wall in Tudor neo-Gothic style.