Šternberk Castle is a medieval castle from the 13th century in the Olomouc Region, rebuilt in the 19th century in the form of Romantic historicism and administered by the National Heritage Institute.
Šternberk Castle in the town of Šternberk in the Olomouc Region was originally a medieval defensive residence. A cylindrical tower and remains of the fortification of the main palace survive from it. The castle is surrounded by a forest park and a suburbium.[1] The castle is administered by the National Heritage Institute.[1][2]
Middle Ages and Renaissance
The castle was founded in the middle of the 13th century, probably by Zdeslav of Chlumec and Šternberk, a member of an old noble family. The first written record comes from a charter of 1269 that delimited the boundaries of the Šternberk estate and the Hradisko Monastery.[1] In the 1370s the castle was rebuilt and enlarged. Bishop Albert II of Šternberk used it as a residence and concentrated on the chapel, which he had decorated in the style of the court of Charles IV of that time.[1]
In the 16th century the Berka of Dubá and Lipá family carried out a Renaissance reconstruction. After an extensive fire the castle was extended with a Renaissance wing containing the Vizitkový sál and prismatic vaults. The Berkas also intervened in the suburbium, where they built a system of farm and administrative buildings.[1] According to the source, the history of the castle is tied to the Šternberk family, the Hussite Wars, the descendants of George of Poděbrady, the Dukes of Minstrberk and the Thirty Years' War, during which both the town and the castle suffered heavily.[1]
The Liechtensteins
In the Thirty Years' War the castle served as a granary and barracks and afterwards was an almost uninhabitable ruin. Its owners at the time, the Dukes of Württemberg, had neither the means nor the interest, and the castle burned down several times. In 1695 they sold the castle and the Šternberk and Pňovice estate to Johann Adam Andreas of Liechtenstein for 504,000 florins.[2] The estate had iron mines and developed flax processing, but the new owner showed little interest in the castle itself.[2] According to the source, the castle remained with the House of Liechtenstein until 1945.[1]
In the following decades only necessary maintenance took place, the core of the castle turned into a ruin and the Renaissance suburbium served as offices of the estate administration. The painter Václav Mánes visited the castle in 1852 and noted that a flax processing factory was located there. According to its layout, the suburbium also served as the town prison and as flats for administration employees.[2]
Rebuilding in the 19th century
In 1886 a general reconstruction was decided on, to a design by the Viennese architect Karl Gandolph Kayser in the spirit of Romantic historicism. A representative residence arose, which Prince John II gradually furnished with historic furnishings, paintings, furniture, sculptures and tapestries.[1] John II the Good (1840 to 1929) rebuilt a number of castles and chateaux in the Neo-Gothic style in order to express the history of his house.[2] The castle forest park was created in 1907 to 1909 by the Viennese architect Albert Esche, and with it the rebuilding symbolically ended.[1]
According to the castle administration, the interior is articulated and its decoration ranges from the Gothic to Art Nouveau.[1]