Český Šternberk Castle
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Český Šternberk Castle () is a castle of the mid-13th century, located on the west side of the river Sázava overlooking the eponymous market town in the
Central Bohemian Region The Central Bohemian Region ( ; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in the Czech capital Prague, which lies in the centre of the regio ...
of the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
. It is an early Gothic castle which was constructed, named and still owned by members of the same family. Český Šternberk Castle is today a residence that bears a long historical and architectural heritage and represents an attractive tourist destination open to the public. It is considered one of the best preserved Gothic Bohemian castles.


Name

The name Å ternberk derives from the
German language German (, ) is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family, mainly spoken in Western Europe, Western and Central Europe. It is the majority and Official language, official (or co-official) language in Germany, Austria, Switze ...
and is the Czech spelling of the German composite word ''Sternberg'' (literally meaning "Starmountain": ''Stern'' meaning "star" and ''Berg'' meaning "mountain"). It originates from the founder of the castle, Zdeslav z Divišova's
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
, bearing an eight-pointed golden star. Eventually he changed his surname to Sternberg and the heraldic symbol was accompanied by the motto: "''The star that never falls down''".


History

The castle was initially built in 1241 by Bohemian nobleman Zdeslav z Divišova, later called Zdeslav of Sternberg (d. 1265). The development of new firearms in the 14th century posed an unexpected threat to the defensibility of the castle. Its 13th century architects hadn't foreseen the danger of long-range firearms and its reinforcement became a necessity. During this period the Český Šternberk castle's fortifications were improved through the construction in the north of a three-story tower, which was connected to the castle by a rampart. In 1467 the castle was seized by the royal armies of
George of Poděbrady George of Kunštát and Poděbrady (23 April 1420 – 22 March 1471), also known as Poděbrad or Podiebrad (; ), was the sixteenth King of Bohemia, who ruled in 1458–1471. He was a leader of the Hussites, but moderate and tolerant toward the ...
. Later, the ruined castle was regained by Å ternberk's aristocracy, who, by the turn of the 15th to 16th century, had reconstructed the castle, renewed its defensive system and expanded it with the construction of a new cylindrical tower in the south and the ''Dungeon'' in the north. The castle managed to survive the looting of the rebels in 1627, during the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
. With the death of
Imperial Count Imperial Count (, ) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. During the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from a prince wh ...
Jan Václav on 1712, who served as High Burgrave of
Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...
, the Holický branch of the House of Sternberg died out and its ownership passed to other families, who in 1751 built the lower palace next to the surrounding wall. The ownership of the castle was returned to the Sternberg family in 1841 when Zdeněk of Sternberg from the Konopiště branch of the family bought it. It remained in Sternberg's ownership until 1949 when it was "nationalized" by the Communist government of the
Republic of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech and , ''ÄŒesko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland became part of Na ...
. The family moved to a small flat in Prague and Jiří Sternberg, agreed to work as a steward in ''his own'' property and gave tours within the castle, which became a sightseeing spot. After the fall of Communism and the
Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...
, in 1992, thanks to the restitution's law, Český Šternberk Castle returned to Jiří's son, the count
ZdenÄ›k Sternberg Count ZdenÄ›k Filip Maria Emanuel Jiří Ignatius von Sternberg (August 15, 1923 – January 19, 2021) was a descendant of the ancient aristocratic Å ternberk family and the owner of ÄŒeský Å ternberk Castle and BÅ™ezina Castle. He was the ...
. After his death in 2021, the castle is administered by Zdeněk's son, Filip Sternberg (b. 29 October 1956).


Architecture

Český Šternberk Castle was originally built as a Gothic castle. Eventually it underwent several periods of reconstructions and further fortification and the Gothic architectural features were in parts concealed by the new reconstructions. Especially the interiors of the castle were realized under the Baroque and Rococo styles. In 1760, the master Carlo Brentano performed the elaborate stuccoing and renderings of the halls' interiors. The castle offers a rare collection of 545 copper engravings, depicting the entire history of the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
. Also, historical weapons and hunting trophies are exhibited within the castle's halls.


Location

The castle is located within
Benešov District Benešov District () is a Okres, district in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Benešov. Administrative division Benešov District is divided into three Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalities wit ...
in the
Central Bohemian Region The Central Bohemian Region ( ; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in the Czech capital Prague, which lies in the centre of the regio ...
of the Czech Republic. It stands on top of a steep
granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
cliff on the western banks of the Sázava river in the market town of
Český Šternberk Český Šternberk () is a market town in Benešov District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 200 inhabitants. It is known for the Český Šternberk Castle, located on the cliffs above the market town. Geography ...
, southeast of the capital
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
, along D1 motorway.


In popular culture

Český Šternberk Castle appears in several scenes throughout the Albanian-Czech
romantic drama film Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...
'' The Sorrow of Mrs. Schneider'' (). The events of the film take place in 1961, in
Český Šternberk Český Šternberk () is a market town in Benešov District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 200 inhabitants. It is known for the Český Šternberk Castle, located on the cliffs above the market town. Geography ...
and the role of the count Jiří Sternberg, the father of today's owner of the castle Zdeněk Sternberg, is portrayed by the internationally acclaimed Italian actor
Michele Placido Michele Placido (; born 19 May 1946) is an Italian actor, director and screenwriter. He began his career on stage, and first gained mainstream attention through a series of roles in films directed by the likes of Mario Monicelli and Marco Belloc ...
. Count Zdeněk Sternberg, happy to meet the Italian actor and after learning that he was interpreting his father in the movie, generously offered free use of the castle's spaces. Anyway, he couldn't meet with Michele Placido after falling ill during the filming days. There is a whole considerable scene within Český Šternberk Castle, a remarkable dialogue between the movie's main character and count Sternberg (Placido).


Gallery

Cesky Sternberk noc 8838.JPG, Český Šternberk Castle at dusk Cesky Sternberk Castle CZ chapel 276.jpg, St. Sebastian chapel within the castle Kratky, Frantisek - Hrad Cesky Sternberk (ca 1892).jpg, The castle in 1892 Opevnění hradu Český Šternberk v opravě.JPG, Minor reconstruction north of Český Šternberk castle in August 2010 Český Šternberk 2.jpg, View from the bridge over the Sázava to the castle Overview of Český Šternberk castle in Český Šternberk, Benešov District.jpg, Český Šternberk Castle


See also

* List of castles in the Czech Republic *
Tourism in the Czech Republic There is a long history of tourism in the Czech Republic. Prague is one of the most visited cities of the world, with 6–8million visitors per year. Tourist regions For the needs of tourism, the Czech Republic is divided into 17 tourist regions ...
* History of the Czech lands in the Middle Ages


References


External links


Český Šternberk Castle
- official site
Šternberk — Official web presentation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cesky Sternberk Castle Benešov District Gothic architecture in the Czech Republic Castles in the Central Bohemian Region Museums in the Central Bohemian Region Historic house museums in the Czech Republic National cultural monuments of the Czech Republic