History of the Stránov Chateau

On the site of today’s chateau originally stood a wooden fortress, on which Mr. Bohuněk of Stránov is mentioned in 1429. Jaroš of Sovojovice had a solid Gothic castle built on its site between 1463 and 1468, which was named Nový Stránov.

Between 1545 and 1589 the castle was owned by the famous Berk family from Dubá.

In 1589, Karel of Biberštejn, the JMC councillor and supreme mintmaster of the Kingdom of Bohemia, became the owner of the castle. Later, the castle is acquired by marriage by Michal Slavata of Chlum. The Slavata or Biberštejn family rebuilt the castle into a Renaissance chateau.

Sometime around 1642, the castle was acquired by Jan of Lisau (a member of the Brandenburg nobility – he was promoted to the nobility for his bravery in the Battle of Nordlingen, later the commander-in-chief in Cheb). After three generations, his descendants claim Czech nationality and write themselves as Lords of Lisau.

Afterwards, Jan’s son Rudolf Adam of Lisov, with his wife Alžbeta Lidmila (great-granddaughter of the astronomer Tycho Brahe, she and her husband had 15 children, only 6 of whom survived to adulthood), who lived a significant part of her life in the castle. Elisabeth of Lisov is the author of Family Memoirs – records of important family events, which were published in book form in 2002.

In 1746 Jan Václav Příchovský of Příchovice joined the estate by marriage. This Baroque cavalier from a prominent aristocratic family left visible traces in the surroundings of the chateau to this day – Stránov was baroquely landscaped, the chateau garden was established (unfortunately, it has completely disappeared), a Baroque sandstone fountain was built in the chateau grounds and in 1767 the Church of St. Wenceslas in the forecourt of the chateau (designed by the prominent Prague architect Filip Heger).

Since 1794 the owner has been the free lord Václav Vojtěch Herites (called Herodes by the people), after his death Jan Herites, and until 1864 the knight Bedřich Neubauer.

The chateau acquired its present romantic appearance during the Neo-Renaissance reconstruction at the end of the 19th century, which was carried out between 1890 and 1894 by the builder J. Mráz according to the project of Josef Schulz, commissioned by Maria von Wallenstein and Vartemberk.

In 1917 the castle was bought by Josef Šimonek, the director (later president) of Škoda factories, who was elevated to the status of baron for his services to the development of industry. His son František Šimonek and his family lived in Stránov until its nationalisation in 1950.

After the nationalisation, the castle was used as a children’s home (there was a JZD in the front of the castle), which corresponded with all the insensitive modifications (toilets and washrooms were built into the corridors and the main representative areas, etc.). The fact that only forty of the seven hundred pieces of chateau furnishings were later returned to the original owners testifies to the care of the state…

Since 2003 Stránov has been in the hands of the Šimonek family again. In 2004 the castle was opened to the public for the first time in its history, and partial reconstruction of the interior and exterior of the castle is gradually taking place.