Obytce, Renaissance chateau in Obytce, Czech Republic

Obytce is a chateau in the village of Obytce, formed by rebuilding a 14th-century fortress. Its present U-shaped plan results from a Baroque reconstruction in the 1730s, when the fortifications disappeared; the northern wing retains presumed Gothic masonry. The ground floor has Renaissance ridge vaults, the first floor flat ceilings, and a black kitchen with a chimney survives.

The village is first mentioned in 1227 as part of the Prague St. George Monastery's colonisation district. The first known holders of the estate, Zbraslav and Bušek Obytečtí z Obytec, appear in 1379; a fortress is documented in a 1543 division agreement among the Bohuslav brothers. The Renaissance rebuilding took place in the second half of the 16th century, and the surviving U-shaped form comes from a Baroque reconstruction in the 1730s. The Order of Malta owned the estate from 1751 until 1926.

The name Obytce comes from the Obytecký family, who held the estate from 1379. A 1543 inheritance agreement among the brothers Václav, Jan, Petr and Alexi divided the fortress itself, giving each a quarter of the kitchen and one stall in the stable; Petr received the tower and part of the hall. The youngest, Jan, gradually bought all shares and in 1584 left the estate to Jan Koc z Dobrše.

The chateau stands in the centre of Obytce, in the Klatovy district. The protected complex includes the chateau building, a granary, the administrative building No. 66, two cattle sheds, a perimeter wall with two gates and the adjoining park. The building was used as a Mototechna warehouse and later as a depository of the Klatovy District Archive in the second half of the 20th century.

The 1543 inheritance agreement among the brothers of the Obytecký family is the first written mention of the fortress. It divided the tower, chambers, cellar and hall among four heirs, and even allotted each brother a quarter of the kitchen and one stall in the stable. The youngest, Jan, gradually bought all the shares and in 1584 left the estate to Jan Koc of Dobrš.