Castle Czech Sternberg (Český Šternberk hrad). Family castle: Český Šternberk

Lock Czech Sternberg is located 60 km southeast of Prague. It is one of the oldest in the Czech Republic and still impresses with its grandeur.

History of Sternberg

The fortification was erected in 1241 by Zdeslav Divishov. He named it Sternberg after his coat of arms, an eight-pointed star (Stern = star, Berg = mountain, Sternberk is the Czech pronunciation). At that time it was fashionable to use German toponyms.

One of the notable and unusual facts is that today the castle is still owned by the same family. The current owner is the 20th generation of its founder.

In 1467, the fortress was captured and then renovated in the late Gothic style. In the second half of the 1600s, extensive reconstruction was carried out in the early Baroque style. Then the castle was no longer used as defensive structure, so more attention was paid to ensuring the comfort of the owners. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Gothic building was equipped with electricity, plumbing and central heating.

Information for visitors

In the castle you can see a unique collection of 545 engravings from the Thirty Years' War. In summer, don't miss the falconry demonstration in the patio. Fascinating traditional hunting involving trained birds of prey is over 4,000 years old, and in 2010 it was listed as an intangible cultural heritage UNESCO.

The tour covers fifteen richly furnished rooms, among which special attention stand: the Knight's Hall, small living rooms and salons with furniture from different historical periods, as well as the Hunting Hall decorated with various trophies. You will be told about the fate and way of life of the last generations of the oldest and still existing Czech dynasty. Be sure to visit the former monastery in Sazava, which is located 12 kilometers from the castle. It was the center of Slavic education from 1032 until its closure in the 18th century. The greatest treasure of the monastery is the Madonna of Sazava. This is the only fresco in the world (there is only one similar to it in France), which depicts the process of raising little Jesus by the Madonna!

If you wish, you can go to (the famous bone vault) and then visit Kutná Hora and the Czech Sternberg castle. The tour costs an average of 30 EUR per person.

Český Sternberg Castle is closed on Mondays, but at other times you can easily take many beautiful photos. Special tours are offered and cost 170 CZK for adults (approximately 7 EUR). Night tours are also available, but a group of at least 10 people is required.

How to get there

The village of Český Sternberg is located about 45 km southeast of Prague. If you are driving, follow the D1 highway. Bus services are available from Prague and Benešov.

There is also a picturesque Railway from Čerčany (which can be reached by train from Prague or Benešov) to Sternberg. You can also ride along the Sazava River. The journey towards the Český Sternberg Castle will take 2 hours, but good feedback tourists go only to the benefit of this mode of transportation.

Address and contact information

Official website of the castle: www.hradceskysternberk.cz;
Mail: [email protected];
Phone: +420 317 855 101
Address: Český Šternberk 1, 257 27 Český Šternberk, Czech Republic

Cesky Sternberg Castle is one of the most popular tourist sites in the Czech Republic. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, this castle is almost 800 years old. Secondly, it is located near Prague - only 60 kilometers on a fairly busy tourist route to the town of Kutná Hora, one of the monuments world heritage UNESCO.

Usually, it is an excursion to this city that includes a visit to Sternberg Castle, but the castle is worthy of just coming here, and not just passing through - on occasion. Thirdly, this is a residential castle and for almost eight centuries since its foundation it has belonged to one family - the Sternberg family, who, by the way, have great merits before Czech Republic and are highly respected. And fourth, what medieval castle no legends? This castle has them too.

History of the Sternberg Castle

The history of the castle begins in the distant 1241. At that time, not only Russian lands, but also Central Europe were attacked by the Mongol-Tatars, and therefore many nobles, including Czech ones, sought to make their castles real fortresses, impregnable and protected. The local aristocrat and rich man Zdeslav Divishovits built a castle in gothic style on the banks of the Sazava River, which even today bends around an impregnable cliff.

Since then, the castle has always, with the exception of a short period in the 20th century, belonged to the descendants of Zdeslav from the noble family of Divishovtsy. True, following the fashion, like many Czech nobles in the Middle Ages, the Divishovtsy changed their surname to Sternberg. The fact is that an eight-pointed star is depicted on the coat of arms of the Divishovites - in German “stern”, and since the family castle is located on a rock, the word “berg” was added, it turned out - “Sternberg”. By the way, the image of an eight-pointed star is found everywhere in the castle, on the gates, above the entrance, on the standards, in the decoration of many rooms, etc. Interestingly, according to the “unwritten laws” of heraldry, the simpler the coat of arms, the more ancient the family. Judging by the modest coat of arms of the Sternbergs, this is the most ancient family.

The Sternbergs, as I have already said, have many merits before the country. For many centuries there were politicians, diplomats, and famous military men, statesmen, and scientists among them. One of the most beloved Czech queens, the wife of King Jiri of Poděbrady, the Hussite "queen of the poor" - Kunguta, whose name is covered with legends, came from this very family. During the Hussite wars, some representatives of the Sternbergs took the side of the Hussites, others - on the side of the Catholics.

The castle was badly damaged during the Hussite wars and was repeatedly rebuilt - each time in a new style, so that today it bears little resemblance to the original Gothic castle.

Today, representatives of this ancient and noble family also live here. The owner of the castle, Count Sternberg, is about 90 years old, and sometimes he even goes out to the guests. He lives with his wife in the closed part of the castle, and the other part has been turned into a museum where visitors are allowed. The castle was returned to them after the "velvet revolution" of the early 90s under the restitution law. The fact is that after the war, all the property of the Czech aristocracy was nationalized by the communist government that came to power. The castle was also taken away from the Sternbergs. In the 1990s, the communist regime fell, and according to the law on restitution, all former owners They had to get their property back, but under two conditions: they had to be able to keep it in order, and they had to have no connections with the Nazis. By the way, another famous castle, one of the most beautiful in the Czech Republic, and indeed in all of Europe - Gluboka over the Vltava, was not returned to the Schwarzenbergs, as they collaborated with the German fascists during the years of occupation. And Count Sternberg not only refused to cooperate with the Germans, but also armed the peasants from the village lying at the foot of the castle, creating a partisan detachment.

Today, many of the Sternbergs live abroad. the son of the current owner of the castle periodically visits the family nest, and the grandson of the owner of the castle is the heir to the family. The family tree of the Sternbergs is depicted on the wall of one of the rooms. its peculiarity is that it does not originate from the bottom up, but from the top down, that is, all branches converge to one heir.

Legends of Sternberg Castle

As befits any medieval castle, Sternberg keeps many secrets and legends. One of them still excites the imagination of adventurers and treasure seekers, it is associated with the treasures of the Templars. In the Middle Ages, the Templars were the richest and most powerful order. They said they owned secret knowledge and countless treasures that were hidden in well-fortified castles. One of the counts of Sternberg was the keeper of the Templar treasury, for which he was responsible with his own life. The secret where the treasury is kept, he trusted only his faithful servant. Once the count had to leave for a long time, he instructed his faithful servant to guard the treasures, and he, not finding a place for himself, decided to relocate him to a more reliable place, which only he knew about. But, unfortunately, someone attacked the servant, trying to find out where the treasure was, and hit him on the head, so much so that he completely lost his speech. The owner has returned, but there is no treasure in the same place. He is to the servant - and he is dying and cannot utter a word. Saw the owner and died. Wherever the count did not look for treasures, but all to no avail. Perhaps, somewhere in the castle itself and in its environs, treasures of the Templars are still hidden.

There is also a ghost in the castle. In one of the rooms, a portrait of a young girl hangs over a writing bureau, and next to it is a stove. Once this young lady was writing a letter and, sealing it with sealing wax, dripped on her dress. Then she touched the stove with her dress, and it immediately flared up. They did not manage to save the unfortunate woman, since it was very difficult to take off her dress. The girl died and since then, they say, she has been living in the castle, but already as a ghost, sometimes appearing to visitors and owners.

Castle tours

The owners of the castle spent a lot of effort and money to restore the castle, turning it into a very popular tourist facility. Dozens of people come here every day during the season. tourist groups. Also, the castle is sometimes rented out for celebrations, exhibitions and even weddings. Excursions are conducted here both day and night. Sometimes the schedule of excursions is very tight, so that the groups practically "step on each other's heels": one group enters one or another hall immediately after the previous one leaves it. Before the tour, you can sit in a cozy courtyard.

There is a small cafe where you can buy coffee with a bun, there are comfortable benches, and in general, the courtyard is very nice and cozy. There is a mini-zoo in the courtyard: owls, falcons are bred here, there are some fluffy animals - squirrels or martens. You can also admire from the fortress wall great views surroundings: the Sazava river, a village at the foot of the castle.

The tour of the castle itself includes several halls. But first you need to enter a very beautiful medieval hall and climb the stairs. The first is the old knight's hall, however, the decoration of this hall does not belong to the era of chivalry, but already to the style of the 18-19th century, but the hall itself dates from the fifteenth century; then follow - the inner chapel of the castle, the so-called. the "men's study" for conversations, the "ladies' room", both made in the Baroque style and furnished in the same style. all halls are decorated with portraits of representatives and representatives of the glorious Czech family. Particularly impressive is the library, where a large number of old books (this, however, is far from the entire Sternberg library, but only a small part of it, mainly books about the history of the family), and a luxurious dining room with a richly set table and a collection of family silver.

In one of the rooms we see a small study of a scientist: there is an old globe, a spyglass, and various instruments. The fact is that two brothers, Jakhim and Kashpar Maria Sternberg, who lived at the end of the 18th - the first half of the 19th, were very famous people: one as an avid traveler, lover of geography and chemistry; the second - as a naturalist, botanist, paleontologist, philanthropist, who did a lot for the development of Czech science.

The hunting hall of the Sternberg castle is impressive. Like all aristocrats, they were avid hunters, fortunately, the castle is located among picturesque forests full of game. The hall is decorated with trophies - heads of deer, roe deer and other ungulates. But if you look closely, you can see that all trophy heads have different horns, or irregularly shaped horns. And this is no coincidence. Aristocrats cared about the purity of animal breeds in their possessions, and therefore, for hunting, they ordered their huntsmen to drive animals that had any flaws, most often it was by the horns that one could identify a weak, sick animal, or an animal with hereditary deviations.

The castle is also notable for having one of the largest collections of prints in Europe. There are more than 500 copies of them, a significant part of them is dedicated to the events of the Thirty Years' War, in which commanders from the Sternberg family participated.

The castle is open for tours from April to October inclusive. An excursion to the castle costs 195 kroons, there are discounts for children and students - for them the ticket price is 135 kroons. You need to pay for the photo separately, then at the box office you will be given a special sticker, and you can take everything you see, and you will see a lot. There is also a souvenir shop in the courtyard where you can buy something as a keepsake.

The castle literally hangs over the highway, and as soon as you get out of the car and raise your head after a 50-minute drive from Prague, you immediately feel the full power of the giant hanging over you. We go slowly uphill, it doesn’t work faster - on a steep climb, in addition to the blizzard, there is also ice.

The castle was founded in 1241 by Zdeslav from the Divish family. Then any more or less towering castle was called the "star on the mountain", but in German - "sternberg". It was for this fortress that the name was fixed and has remained to this day. And the local owners, who called themselves the Sternbergs, have retained their surname to this day. By the way, the castle is also famous for the fact that for more than 760 years it has never been sold, and the current owner - Zdeněk Sternberg - is a descendant of the same founder Zdeslav.

From the courtyard you can enjoy a picturesque view of the Sasava River valley. I have often heard how the Czech Sternberg was called the pearl of the Sazava Valley. Even at the foot of the cliff, on which the fortress was perched, I met my old friend Sergei, who lives in the Czech Republic and is keenly interested in its history. How, in his opinion, is Sternberg different from other Czech castles?

- Czech Sternberg differs from other castles in several details. Firstly, I like that there is no wall around the fortress. It stands on a cliff and is one massive building. The wall does not block the view, and the castle only benefits from this. Secondly, it is immediately noticeable that the castle from its very foundation belonged to one family with a short break. Many traces of the activity of this surname have accumulated here, continuity and continuity are felt. It seems to me that there are few such castles in the Czech Republic.

We will walk through the castle with an experienced guide.
- The first hall on our way - the Knights - is the most spacious in the castle. This is what it is now called, but earlier it served the local inhabitants as a chapel. If you look at the thickness of the walls - about one and a half meters, you immediately understand: this is not just a castle, it is an impregnable fortress. Later, for the convenience of the owners, it was “ennobled” and “domesticated” more than once, but the walls, of course, did not go away. During the Thirty Years' War, the fortress was occupied, and for the next hundred years a military garrison was located here.

Crystal chandeliers have been preserved since the 18th century. In order to make them look beautiful, the Sternbergs decided to ... raise the ceiling a little. Czech crystal, weight - 300 kg, standing under them, I confess, is a bit scary. The most valuable pieces of furniture are also in the Knights' Hall, these are two chests of the 16th century. They are far from the most beautiful of all this variety. antique furniture, but the oldest.

But these armchairs are clearly baroque, but baroque looks a little unusual. And all due to the fact that they are “only” two hundred years old, and even then incomplete. In the 19th century, perestroika unfolded in the Czech Republic, as they say, semi-antique. Throughout the country, castles and fortresses were dressed in neo-baroque, neo-renaissance and neo-gothic attire. And the furniture was made appropriate, also "antique".

We go to the next room, above the entrance - the inscription "DIVO SEBASTIANI". However, it is already clear who this chapel is named after - St. Sebastian, pierced by arrows, occupies the most prominent place. There are many holy remains in the chapel, the relics are hidden under statues and under a massive cross.

A funny portrait of Jiří Poděbrady, the only Czech king who did not have royal blood in his veins. He is depicted, to put it mildly, big-headed. Dagmar explains that it was the artist who blundered. I just didn’t calculate the place, at first I drew the head and body in armor, but there was not enough space left for the legs.
Castle courtyard

We move on to the women's salon, where furniture is collected, for the most part, from the Rococo era. Dagmar explains to us how to recognize this style without any problems: if the legs are strongly curved, then we are contemplating Rococo. Ladies in those days wore wide dresses, therefore armchairs and chairs for them were made without armrests. Under the mirror there is a spacious chaise lounge, two ladies just fit there with all their parade. They sat one opposite the other and talked, talked, talked...

- They say that if a lady looks in this mirror for a long time, she will look ten years younger. But at the same time, she will become ten times dumber.

We are in the office. Willy-nilly, the eye stops on the wall, on which the genealogical tree of the Sternbergs is depicted in half of its length. Perhaps now is the time to tell briefly about the history of the family, which is rightfully considered one of the most ancient in the Czech lands. It was founded by Divish from the same family of Divish as Zdeslav the Builder. The first mention of the ancestors of the current residents of the castle dates back to the second half of the 12th century. The Sternbergs provided big influence on the move Czech history, which is only worth the namesake of the current owner, who founded the Zelenogorsk squad, which actively opposed King Jiří Podebradsky. Without much success, really.

Starting in 1990, the Sternbergs began to gradually return the estates and castles that were nationalized immediately after the Second World War. In addition to this castle, they received ownership of Emnishte, Zasmuki, Chastolovice and some others.

The Sternbergs have a beautiful coat of arms with two eight-pointed stars, thus illustrating the German origin of the family name. OK.

– The genealogical tree tells about the noble family in reverse order: the current owner of the castle, Zdenek Sternberg, is depicted at the base of the tree at the age of about nine years. Small portraits of members of this family are reduced copies of paintings that are scattered around the castles of the country. On the branch of the tree a little higher there is a portrait of the grandfather of the current owner of the castle, Philip. The exposition in the next room is dedicated to his hobbies. Philip Sternberg had several hobbies. First of all, it is collecting pipes, and this despite the fact that he did not smoke. Only a small part of the collection is presented here, which, according to experts, is of considerable historical value. In addition, Zdenek Sternberg's grandfather was a good artist. He was very fond of horses, therefore, it is not surprising that almost all of his works presented here tell about horse races and battles.
Czech Sternberg

The current owners of the castle have a son who works as a lawyer in Vienna. He likes to come here with his family on vacation. Rumor has it that he is going to move into the local mansions as soon as he retires. And I really understand him.

majestic medieval fortresses take pride of place among the popular attractions of the Czech Republic, and are also a national cultural heritage of the republic. One of these structures rises to high rock in the valley of the Sazava river, which is not far from the Benesov district. This grandiose castle is called Czech Sternberg. For eight centuries of its existence, the fortress belongs to the old noble family of Sternbergs, whose descendants still live in it. Today, several halls of the family estate are open to the public.

At the beginning of the 13th century, Ottokar II, the king of the Czech Republic from the Přemyslid dynasty, ordered the construction of a fortress designed to protect the southeastern borders of Prague. The construction was entrusted to the young nobleman Zdeslav Divisovets, who, by the good will of the monarch, became the first owner of the castle. As befits an ancient tradition, each noble family had its own coat of arms. The symbol of Prince Zdeslav was an eight-pointed star, which in German sounds like “stern”.

Because fortification erected on a mountain ("berg"), then it received the name Sternberg - a star on the mountain. Soon, representatives of the Divishovets family began to be called Sternbergs in honor of their family estate. The word "Czech" was added to the name of the fortress later, when the princes became the owners of other estates in other provinces. First building gothic castle dated 1241. The building, protected by powerful towers with loopholes, was impregnable fortress, which was surrounded deep gorge and the river. The appearance of large-caliber guns throwing cannonballs at long distance, revealed flaws in the strengthening of the castle.

During the Hussite Wars, the then owner of the estate opposed the monarch of the Czech Republic, which led to the artillery shelling of the fortress by the royal troops. The firearms caused serious damage to the fortifications. A long era of wall restoration began. Gradually, the castle lost its military strategic importance.

In the 17th century, Český Sternberg was rebuilt into a baroque palace with luxurious interiors. The Italian artist Carlo Brentano decorated the vast premises of the castle with pompous stucco and murals. middle 19th century was marked by another and final transformation appearance fortresses. According to the project of the Viennese architect Kaiser, the castle was reconstructed already in the Romanesque architectural style with a massive and austere facade. Today, the four-story fortress with thick walls is an elongated gray building, the curves of which follow the contours of the rock.

After the end of World War II, the castle was nationalized by the government of Czechoslovakia. The Sternbergs were invited to stay on the estate and manage the museum, which was set up in the palace. According to the law on restitution, in 1992 the confiscated fortress was returned to its present owner. The current owner of the castle, Zdenek Sternberg, is a direct descendant of a noble family and still lives there.

What to see

The historical interiors of the castle impress with their richness. Fifteen rooms located on the first floor are available for visitors. Glazed arched gallery, which in the Middle Ages was a courtyard under open sky, leads to luxury large apartments fortresses.

The most spacious room of the castle is the Knight's Hall. The walls and ceilings of the room are decorated with bas-reliefs created by Italian craftsmen. Antique carved furniture, a tiled fireplace, candelabra in the form of elegant figurines and boxes give the hall a medieval spirit. Portraits of notable figures of Bohemia and representatives of the Sternberg family are hung on the walls. Crystal chandeliers, weighing more than 300 kilograms, illuminate the room.

The hunting hall demonstrates the traditional passion of the nobles - hunting. Here you can also see a collection of guns, muskets and daggers, as well as trophies obtained by the owners of the castle over many centuries. Crocodile skin spread on the floor is considered an exotic exhibit. The ladies' quarters are furnished with elegant furniture on curved legs. On the wall of the room hangs an old mirror associated with the legend. If a woman looks into it, she will not age for ten years. But in these years the lady should not use other mirrors.

The spacious dining room impresses with numerous fine china and silver cutlery lined with antique cabinets and chests of drawers. In the center of the room is a long table set for dinner.

In other aristocratic halls of the castle, furnished with antique furniture, you can see the library, collections of engravings, pipes, clocks and children's toys.

Legend of the Lost Treasure

An interesting legend is associated with medieval castle. The noble family of the Sternbergs had a rich fortune. Once, after a profitable sale of one of the many palaces, the prince returned to the family estate with a large amount of money and gave it to his faithful assistant to hide the treasure. The time was restless - the castle could be attacked by robbers. The servant responsibly fulfilled the order, but unsuccessfully fell off the horse and died without informing anyone about the place where the treasure was stored.

Opening hours and ticket prices

The castle is open to the public every day except Mondays. In April and October, Český Sternberg welcomes its guests only on Saturdays and Sundays. Tours of the fortress begin from 9:00 to 18:00 (summer), to 16:00 (winter). The entrance ticket costs 150 CZK.

Where is it located and how to get there

The castle is located near the town of Vlašim (Benešov district), a 40-minute drive from Prague. It is recommended to use the bus from the Roztyly Prague bus station. Intercity transport will take you to Vlashim, and there you should transfer to local bus walking towards the castle.

Czech Sternberg Castle on the map

Middle Ages for the 6th grade of the Soviet high school, where knight's castle was depicted standing on a high rock with steep slopes. Of course, not all castles stood on such rocks, but this was not something exceptional. On the contrary, in the same Czech Republic, a lot of castles stand on the tops of the rocks. In addition to the same castle of Cesky Krumlov, there is also the castle of Cesky Sternberk - also a very powerful fortress located in the very center of the Czech Republic, near the Sazava River on top of a cliff. The castle is again stretched along the ridge of this rock, so that nature itself took care to make it practically impregnable, well, and what nature forgot about, people corrected with their mind and patience.

Český Šternberk Castle.

There is another circumstance that distinguishes this castle from others. They live in it. And not just anyone, but the modern and prosperous descendants of the ancient Sternberg family. And therein lies its uniqueness. Not much left in the world ancient castles, within the walls of which the same family lives, starting with its founder - Zdeslav Divisovets. Moreover, for the Sternberk family, this is both a home and a source of their livelihood. Arranged around the castle paid excursions, and the premises are rented out for weddings and scientific conferences!

It is interesting that Cesky Sternberk was built in 1241, that is, in the year of the defeat of the Polish-German army in the battle with the Mongols at Legnica. Then it was erected on this very spot by order of Zdeslav Divisovets, and its name was “Pearl of Posazava”. After that, representatives of the Divishovtsev family, following the example of many Czech aristocrats, decided to change their surname to the German style. Their coat of arms was a blue shield depicting a hill crowned with a golden star, which gave them reason to be called the Sternberks, because the star in German means “stern”, and the hill means “berg”. The motto of the coat of arms was appropriate: "We will never go out!". So it is not surprising that this is one of the most ancient families of the Czech Republic, like their castle itself, numbering seven and a half centuries! Initially, the castle was built in the Gothic style, not far from the town of Benesov. Moreover, when the flood comes or go heavy rains, the water in the river rises so high that it comes to the very foundation of the castle, which only adds to its impregnability.

However, there are no completely impregnable castles and fortresses, which, by the way, was proved by the example of the same castle during the era of the Hussite wars. Then Pan Zdeněk Konopistski from Sternberk who owned it was an opponent of King Jiří from Poděbrady and openly opposed him. For this, his castle was besieged by the royal troops and was sacked in 1467. After that, in 1480, so that such a misfortune would not happen again in the future, its new owners built a new one at the entrance to it. high tower. This strengthened the castle from the military side, but could not prevent its dilapidation. It had to be repaired, and since the architectural fashion changed like any other, from 1693 baroque features appeared in the castle, and in 1886 the architect from Vienna K. Kaiser added elements of romanticism to it.

First of all, around the castle in 1907, in just a couple of years, they broke beautiful park. And although during the Second World War it was still a little damaged, it was quickly restored and opened to the public already in 1947. All the years while the Czech Republic was Czechoslovakia, the castle belonged to the state. But in 1992 it was returned to the representatives of the Sternberk family. This is a rather rare case when the Czech government returned the property to its former rightful owner. The fact is that when, after the “velvet revolution” of the 1990s, a law on denationalization was adopted in the Czech Republic, a clause was inserted into it that it was possible, yes, but ... only on condition that the former owners of this property did not cooperate with the German -fascist invaders. Important clarification, is not it? Because there were many. Especially among wealthy people. But Prince Sternberg did not accept the offer of cooperation with the Germans. Moreover, many sources report that he “lowered the Gestapo officer who came to his castle down the stairs”, and he armed his servants and went with them to the mountains, where he partisand all the years of the war. The most interesting thing is that when the Czech Republic was liberated by Soviet troops, the prince was imprisoned - well, the prince, a socially alien element, “peace to huts - war to palaces!”, But locals asked for his release and secured the release of their own exploiter.

As for the fortifications of the castle, in its southern part, the bastion of Gladomorn, dating back to the late Gothic era, has been preserved. It was built in the 14th century by Piotr Golitsky Sternberk, but he didn’t have time to finish it, so Jan Sternberk, his son, had to complete it. After the castle was nevertheless taken in 1467, southern part it was decided to strengthen it with the help of additional structures. They put a tower inside which goes spiral staircase. There are many holes in the wall through which you can fire. So it wasn't easy to get to her. A horseshoe-shaped rampart was built around the bastion, but it has not been preserved very well from time to time. But all this can be seen from the outside. But what are the walls of the castle hiding inside? Oh, there is also very, very interesting!

As many as fifteen absolutely chic halls and rooms are open for visiting. First of all, tourists get into the large "Knight's Hall" (the most spacious in the castle), where huge portraits of representatives of the family, dressed in armor from the era of the Thirty Years War, hang on the walls, each of which has its coat of arms. The hall is decorated with fireplaces and huge, weighing 300 kg, Bohemian glass chandeliers. Then the route goes to the Chapel of St. Sebastian and the Yellow Salon, decorated with baroque frescoes and you can even sit on the furniture of the times Louis XIV. Next is the Ladies' Salon and a large library, which contains several thousand sometimes completely unique books, and the walls are decorated with works by the Czech painter Petr Jan Bradl. This is followed by a tour of the Dining Room, where there is a collection of family portraits of the Sternberk family, as well as silverware belonging to the family (remember how servants polish family silver in almost every Dickens novel?!).

Next comes the Oriental-style lobby and breakfast room, which displays a collection of silver figurines. The family genealogical tree of the Sternberk clan is located in the office of Jiri Sternberk. According to it, six generations of the Sternberk family can be traced on 63 portrait images. Sociologists believe that a century is the life of three generations. This means that there are portraits of people two hundred years ago, but since life expectancy used to be lower than today (even among the nobility!), This time is 2.5 centuries, no less! The next four halls are decorated in different styles - from rococo to baroque. The next room will not leave men indifferent, because here are the trophies obtained during the Sternberk hunt. The tour of the castle ends at front staircase, where the battle canvas by Philip Sternberk hangs, that is, the people in the family were of various talents.

There are plenty of collections available for inspection, of course, a cursory one, because this is an excursion, there are plenty in the castle, but a collection of 545 (!) Copper engravings dedicated to the events of the Thirty Years' War appear on them according to the plan of Jiri Sternberk. There is a unique Gothic stone figurine - a relic of the family, dating from the 14th century in the chapel. In general, the castle is simply overflowing with all sorts of antique, baroque furniture, colored stained-glass windows, antique clocks and paintings by Italian and Dutch masters of the 17th-18th centuries. Very impressive natural leather wallpaper, very similar to the wallpaper in the Hluboka castle. There is a valuable collection of smoking pipes, although Philip Sternberk, who collected them, did not smoke himself!

It is clear that every self-respecting castle should have either its own ghost or its own legend. As for the ghosts in the castle, something did not agree, apparently, none of its owners strangled their wives and did not wall them up in the walls, but on the other hand, the Sternberk castle has a legend that excites the soul. According to it, one of the counts, having successfully sold one of his castles, received a fortune for it - one hundred thousand gold thalers. And so he took part of the gold with him on a trip, and decided to leave part in the castle, under the protection of a faithful servant Gineku, appointed manager. Loyalty, of course, is a good quality, but poor Ginek was so worried about the safety of the prince's gold (by the way, who wouldn't worry?) That he lost his peace and sleep, and could not think of anything better than to hide the gold in the mountains. And hid "one cold dark night!" And then, shortly after, he took it, and fell off his horse and was badly killed. So much so that he could not speak. This is what God has prepared for him an accident on the road. They brought him to the castle, began to read the waste, and he tried to show the clerk with gestures (there were no more literate ones) where he hid the treasure, but only the clerk understood him that way.

The prince returned - but there was no money! He was already grieving, grieving, and interrogating the servants, and threatening them, to no avail. And the clerk was honest. He came to the prince and confessed that it was because of his stupidity that he did not understand what the dying Ginek wanted from him. But the prince did not punish the clerk, but began to look for treasures, since he had enough people. They even dug up the surrounding fields, so that it became impossible to sow on them - there were only holes all around, but the treasure was never found. And it is quite possible that the medieval Sternberk gold is still lying somewhere in the vicinity of Czech Sternberk, sooner or later someone will find it!

Well, if you go to Sternberk - by the way, getting there is very difficult, although it is located only some 50 km from Prague. There are few direct buses and they go “with all stops”, so it takes more than two hours and this is when “there” every minute counts. You need to go by train with a change - that is, all this is still that headache. Therefore, it is best for those who have an international driving license to rent a car and drive using a navigator, then it is only 40 minutes. Even though it's the most expensive. Again, in the castle you need to have a group of at least 10 people. Less - but I don’t want to wait, all those present add up for the missing ones. However, even if the tour is conducted in different languages ​​(there is also in Russian, recorded on a tape recorder), its price is quite low and ranges from 4 to 7 euros. But it is very short - only one hour! But ... what you can see in this castle atones for all these troubles and expenses.