Červená Lhota, Czech Republic

Červená Lhota is one of the very famous and beautiful castles of Bohemia, located in Southern Bohemia. Woods, old oaks, a blue lake, and in the middle of it, on a towering rock island - a fantastic castle. No, that's a quote from a storybook. It's a description of Červená Lhota Castle and the amazing surrounding countryside. Falling into this fairy-tale atmosphere, one is overwhelmed by the feeling of something strange, fantastic, one senses a silence that has woven into melody the sounds of past and present. It's so fairy-tale-like that it's as if everything in Červená Lhota Castle is on the border between dream and reality. Červená Lhota Castle was built in 1530 to be used as a Gothic fortress, but has undergone rebuilding in the centuries that followed. As a result, Bohemia owns and can show off another architectural gem - a castle with something Renaissance, something Baroque and something modern about it. Červená Lhota Castle was nationalized in 1947 when the communists were floored by the idea of turning the castle into a rest station for their friends. But the servant of its last ruler saved the castle and preserved not only its building but everything inside. Thanks to this man, today Červená Lhota Castle is one of the few castles in Bohemia whose interior has been preserved.

This Červená Lhota Castle in the 14th century was simply called Lhota after the family that ruled it. In their time, Lhota was a typical southern Bohemian palace with a quarter-shaped courtyard. Around it were the walls and a lake acted as an insurmountable barrier.

The credit for enjoying the present-day appearance of Červená Lhota Castle goes to the Kaba family, which inherited the fortress in 1530. Thanks to their ambition, a number of Renaissance repairs and new constructions were carried out. After them, the castle was already called New Lhota. It acquired the name Červená Lhota in the 17th century, when the Baroque left its marks on the building and red tiles were laid on its roof.

Today, Červená Lhota Castle is a model summer residence, charged with a fantastic atmosphere and a sense of the spirit of the Renaissance man, which contains a rich collection of art objects.