Ptenín Castle Audio guide

The castle on the site of an older fortress

Ptenín Castle stands in the village of the same name in the Plzeň region and was built on the site of a Gothic fortress, which is documented in writing as early as 1535. Its present form is the result of a long building history that reflects the shift from a defensive seat to a more comfortable country castle.

Renaissance and Baroque rebuilding

Between 1548 and 1688, the fortress was rebuilt into a Renaissance castle. The decisive transformation, however, came only with the Baroque alterations carried out between 1728 and 1738, commissioned by Count Ferdinand Morzin. This gave the castle the form visitors still essentially see today. The castle was used as a residence for officials and at times also as a hunting lodge.

Architecture and the grounds

It is a two-story plastered masonry building with three wings that define a trapezoidal courtyard open to the west. Renaissance sgraffito motifs, known as little letters, have survived on the facade, recalling the earlier building phase. The grounds also include a stone wall, a park, a garden, and an orchard. The castle is now owned by the municipality, is protected as a historic monument, and is partly used for housing. In 2015, the exhibition Opening the Treasures of the Countryside was opened here.