Bouzov Castle

Bouzov, Czechia, Czech Republic (Czechia)

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Bouzov Castle is a romantic medieval castle located on a hill above the village of Bouzov in the Olomouc Region of Czechia, roughly 28 kilometers northwest of Olomouc. The castle was originally established in the second half of the 14th century to guard a trade route and was first mentioned in records in 1317.

It was initially owned by the Bůz of Bludovec family, who gave the castle its name. Over time, the castle passed to notable families, including the Lords of Kunštát, whose most famous member George of Poděbrady, later a Czech King, was probably born there.

The castle endured a fire in 1558 and underwent multiple ownership changes and architectural modifications, evolving from a Gothic fortress to a Renaissance style and finally, after extensive reconstruction in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, into a romantic Neo-Gothic mansion under the care of the Teutonic Knights.

Features like an eight-story watchtower, bastions, battlements, deep dry moat, and functioning drawbridges contribute to its fairy-tale appearance. The interiors retain valuable furniture from the Teutonic Knights and Archduke Eugene von Habsburg’s collection, including a Neo-Gothic chapel with a Gothic altar and tombstones of the Order’s masters.

The castle is a protected national cultural monument and has been used as a backdrop in various films and TV series due to its picturesque charm.