Český Šternberk Castle

Český Šternberk Castle, built during the 13th century, is owned by the members of the same family till now. Owing to repeated renovations, this castle remains one of the best preserved Gothic castles in the country today. This 1241 castle is currently owned by Zdeněk Sternberg who is the 20th generation descendent of Zdeslav Sternberg.

The castle was briefly owned by King George of Podebrady, the king of Bohemia, leader of the Hussite religious reformers in the 15th century and by the Communist Czechoslovakian government after the end of World War II.
Jiří Sternberg, the then-heir of Český Šternberk Castle, was forced to give up control of the castle to the government, and in an unusual arrangement, was hired as a custodian. He gave tours of his former estate to visitors before he left for Austria in 1968. But when communism fell, the Sternberg family estate was restored, and today Count Zdeněk Sternberg lives in one part of the castle. Today, tours of the castle will lead you through rooms decorated in the style of different time periods―Baroque, Rococo, and modern 20th century, bringing to life the various members of the Sternberg family that inhabited these walls in times past.