Miroslav Castle, Renaissance château in Miroslav, Czech Republic

Miroslav Castle stands in the centre of Miroslav on a rocky spur that once rose from surrounding marshes. Its core is a massive four-storey building on an irregular quadrilateral plan, topped by a hipped roof, with a Baroque entrance portal on the east facade and a broken staircase behind it. A two-storey northern wing holds a two-nave hall divided by columns carrying a barrel vault; the east wing has a projecting prismatic bay with the stone coat of arms of Zikmund Valecký of Mírov.

A water fortress on the site is first mentioned in 1398; its remains probably survive in the core of the present four-storey building. From the late 15th century the Valecký of Mírov raised the main buildings and added the south wing with its projecting bay, and Renaissance work continued under the Hodický of Hodice after 1569. The Louka Premonstratensians, who acquired the estate in 1692, added the Baroque portal, the stairway and the north hall, and after a mid-18th-century fire the battlements were removed and a mansard roof built.

The castle houses a permanent exhibition on Pavel Krbálek, an academic sculptor, painter and jeweller born in Miroslav, and it also hosts temporary shows such as "Tvrz očima fotografa". Above the entrance gate is a panel with the coat of arms of the Louka monastery, dated 1665 and probably brought from the mother house.

The castle is accessible from Brno by regional buses and works well as a half-day excursion, especially during warmer months. The pathways across the grounds vary in surface, so sturdy shoes are advisable and visitors should allow time to explore properly.

A stone plaque above the entrance gate bears the coat of arms of the Louka monastery, dated 1665; it was probably brought here from the mother monastery. The gate is reached over a brick arched bridge spanning an artificial moat.