Čestín, Cultural monument and château in Čestín, Czech Republic

Čestín is a château in the village of Čestín, southwest of Kutná Hora in the Central Bohemian Region. It began as a Gothic fortress, was rebuilt in Renaissance style between 1575 and 1585 by Adam Slavata, and was largely demolished in the early 19th century. Two wings survive and are protected as a cultural monument.

A Gothic fortress documented in 1389 was rebuilt as a Renaissance château by Adam Slavata between 1575 and 1585. After the Thirty Years' War it decayed, and in the early 19th century most of it was demolished; two wings survive as a cultural monument.

The village of Čestín gave its name to the castle and to the Slavata family line; Vilém Slavata of Chlum and Košumberk, later a prominent official of the Bohemian Crown, was born here in 1572. In 1680, 900 peasants rose in the Čáslav region, stormed the castle and killed its owner Jan Adalbert Freisleben over his labour demands.

Only two wings of the château survive; the rest was largely demolished in the early 19th century, and the building is not open to visitors. The site stands on a promontory with steep slopes southwest of Kutná Hora, and the former fortifications disappeared during terrain work in the early 20th century.

The castle was largely demolished in the early 19th century; only two wings survive, now protected as a cultural monument. The site is not open to visitors, so the remains are seen only from outside.