Světlá nad Sázavou Castle, Renaissance Revival château in Světlá nad Sázavou, Czech Republic

Světlá nad Sázavou Castle is a château on the left bank of the Sázava, a few metres from the town centre. Its present form comes from a Neo-Renaissance rebuilding in 1868–1873 by František Josef of Salm-Reifferscheidt, with an Empire west wing added after 1817 that closes the courtyard.

A fortress was built here in 1393 by Štěpán of Šternberk, whose father Albert had received Světlá in pledge from the Vilémov monastery in 1385. Burian Trčka z Lípy had it rebuilt as a hunting lodge in 1567. The present Neo-Renaissance appearance dates from 1868–1873, when František Josef ze Salm-Reifferscheidtu had it rebuilt under the Viennese architect Svatoš, with sculptor Josef Gasser contributing.

The castle's interiors now hold the Museum of Světelsko and four guided tours, including an exhibition of historical European glass drawn from the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, opened in 2014. A second circuit of historical clocks, paintings and sculptures followed in June 2015, and two children's routes, Dětské království and the fairy-tale Na Sázavě, are also offered.

The castle opened to the public in June 2014, and a second circuit, the Exhibition of Historical Clocks, Paintings and Sculptures, followed in June 2015. Two children's circuits, Dětské království and the fairy-tale route Na Sázavě, are also offered. The grounds hold an 18-hectare English park with a cascade of ponds and a castle café.

A Latin inscription from 1567 is carved above the portal on the south side of the building, dating from when Burian Trčka owned the property. This detail is easy to walk past, even though it sits right at the entrance and points to a period well before the 19th-century rebuilding.