Žihobce Castle, Baroque château in Žihobce, Czech Republic

Žihobce Castle is a former fortress rebuilt into a Baroque château, with a facade divided by tall pilasters and windows framed by supraportes. Remains of Renaissance sgraffito survive in the plaster, and the left tower holds the entrance portal leading to a barrel-vaulted passage. The complex also includes an Empire riding hall from around 1800, a greenhouse and a park with a protected lime tree.

A medieval fortress stood here from the 14th century, when Racek ze Žihobic is first recorded as owner in 1350–1383. It fell derelict in the Hussite Wars, was repaired by Jan House ze Žihobic after 1462, then demolished in 1467 by Henry I of Münsterberg. Ferdinand Iselin of Lanau rebuilt the old fortress as a Baroque château, completed in 1688 as the date on the second floor records.

The Lamberg family, who bought the estate in 1709 or 1710, owned the castle until 1945; Prince Karl Eugen von Lamberg was the first to live there permanently in the early 19th century. Since 2012 the building has housed the Museum Lamberská stezka and the village information centre, sharing it with a school.

The castle sits in a quiet village in south Bohemia and is best reached by car or public transport from nearby towns. The best time to visit is during the warmer months when the surroundings appear green and welcoming.

On the castle attic lives a colony of lesser horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus hipposideros), which led to the site being declared a European Important Site in 2013. The building also houses the Museum Lamberská stezka and the village information centre, sharing the space with a school since 2012.