Poláky Castle, Baroque castle in Poláky, Czech Republic

Poláky Castle is a baroque building with two perpendicular wings, a cylindrical corner projection topped by a cupola, and a facade facing the village square with a triangular pediment and a hexagonal turret. The ground-floor rooms have cross and barrel vaults, and the cellars preserve remains of an older fortress.

A Renaissance fortress from the first half of the 16th century, first documented in 1546, stood here until it was badly damaged in the Thirty Years' War. In the late 18th century Johann Anton von Pergen had it demolished and replaced by a baroque castle designed by the Žatec builder Vavřinec Rodt. The castle was thoroughly repaired in 1928 and has been open to the public since 2024.

The castle reflects how aristocratic families organized their homes and estates during the baroque period, with spaces designed for celebrations and daily administration of local lands. The ornamental details reveal the tastes and priorities of those who once lived here.

The castle stands in the southeast corner of a large farmyard, with the cellars retaining remains of the older fortress. A reconstructed section opened to the public in the 2024 season, so check opening times before travelling. The building is a protected cultural monument.

The cellars of Poláky Castle preserve masonry from the Renaissance fortress that stood here before the baroque rebuilding; the fortress was first documented in 1546, when Jan Žďárský ze Žďáru bought it from the Kolovrat family. The castle has been a listed cultural monument since 1963.