Ropice Castle, Baroque château in Ropice, Czech Republic.
Ropice Castle is a single-storey baroque building on a rectangular plan, with a rear service wing of the same height facing the courtyard. Its front facade is divided by pilasters on socles topped with richly decorated capitals, and the window surrounds on both floors carry ornamental carving. The grounds also hold an early 19th-century granary and a late baroque house, no. 151.
The building took shape across several periods, with its baroque features largely established during the 18th century. This architectural reshaping defined its current appearance and made it an important example of the style in the region.
The Sobek family of Kornice built the Renaissance fortress that preceded the castle and took the surname "z Ropice" after the village. In the 19th century Baroness Zoé von Mattencloit hosted painters, musicians and poets at the palace. After 1945 a Czech-Polish kindergarten occupied the building until 1961.
The castle stands in the centre of Ropice, in the Frýdek-Místek district; the grounds are not open for guided interior tours, and the building was listed for sale in 2021. Visitors see the exterior, the adjoining early 19th-century granary and the small farm building from around 1800.
During the 2009 flood the central section of the castle collapsed; when workers cleared the rubble they found a well in the cellars. The building had been abandoned since 1972, and in the 1970s chickens, pigeons and a dog were kept in its first-floor rooms.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,599 contributors worldwide.