Tvrz Popovice, Fortified house in Popovice, Czech Republic

Popovice is a fortified house whose three one-storey wings meet at obtuse angles on the bank of Popovice Pond. The white-plastered north and south wings contrast with the taller, weathered reddish-brown section on the right, and the north wing preserves Renaissance psaníčková sgraffiti and late Gothic lilies beside the windows. A Gothic defence tower with a modern brick upper storey adjoins the north wing in the courtyard.

The oldest known lord of the fortress was Otík of Popovice, mentioned in 1358 as patron of the parish church. The originally Gothic fortress was rebuilt as a Renaissance chateau in the 16th century, then altered in Baroque style during the rule of the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star (1729–1795). It has been listed as a cultural monument since 1965.

The name Popovice is linked to the vladyka Otík z Popovic, first mentioned in 1358 as patron of the parish church. The fortress later served the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star, whose 1729–1795 rule left Baroque window surrounds. A sundial dated 1801 on house No. 2 marks the year a spinning manufactory was established in the farmyard.

The fortress stands on the bank of the Popovice pond, whose water once fed the moats on its north and west sides. A road rerouted in the 1920s now cuts across the former farmyard, so much of the yard serves as the village green, with the municipal office housed in one of its buildings. The site has been listed as a cultural monument since 1965.

The northeast corner rooms on both floors carry a hřebínková (comb) vault, a detail easy to miss from the courtyard. The northern wing also keeps fragments of Renaissance psaníčková sgraffito and late-Gothic lilies beside the windows.