Divice Castle, Cultural monument in Divice, Czech Republic.
Divice Castle consists of a dominant square tower with three floors, one room per floor, and a single-storey wing converted into a farm building. The tower's windows sit in deep recesses with stone seats, and the second floor preserves 38 painted coats of arms and a small Renaissance portal leading to a staircase inside the wall.
Divice was first recorded in 1318 as a holding of the vladykas Oneš, Juřík and Vratislav. Léva of Divice rebuilt it as a fortress with a massive tower by 1346, and after 1560 Jindřich of Lobkovice had it converted into a Renaissance château, a costly work that left his successor Děpolt the Younger in debt.
The name Divice comes from the village's vladyka family, who held the fortress from 1318; Léva z Divic rebuilt it with a massive tower in 1346. Since 2016 the tower and Baroque wing have belonged to Studia Dva, which holds cultural events there and works on its restoration.
The tower and the single-storey wing stand in private hands since 2016; the owners hold cultural events there and work on its restoration. The adjoining orchard with a pond has been under renewal since 2017, so access is not a public sightseeing visit.
The tower's second floor preserves 38 painted coats of arms, and a small Renaissance portal there opens onto a staircase built inside the thickness of the wall. The tower gained its present roof only in 1956, when the local collective farm had it covered and repaired.
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