Style of architecture  Romanticism

Contact

Konopiště 1, 256 01 Benešov - Konopiště
Phone: +420 317 721 366
Mobile: +420 724 643 826
E-mail: konopiste@npu.cz
Web: http://www.zamek-konopiste.cz
GPS: 49,77955176°N 14,65671526°E Minute GPS format GPS: 49°46'46''N 14°39'24''E GPS decimal format

Konopiště Castle was probably founded near his ancestral seat of Benešov around 1294 by the Bishop of Prague Tobias of Benešov, following the model of French fortresses. After the extinction of the Benešovice family, Konopiště passed into the hands of the Šternberks in 1327 for 275 years. In the 17th-19th centuries a number of influential noble families took over the possession of Konopiště. In 1887 the estate was bought by Archduke Franz Ferdinand d'Este, who had the castle rebuilt in a historicist style and its surroundings turned into a landscape park. He established a Rose Garden with greenhouses and placed his extensive collections in the castle. In 1921 the Czechoslovak state took over Konopiště from the Archduke's heirs and partially opened the castle and the park to the public. During World War II, Konopiště was the headquarters of the SS. After the liberation, the castle was again
was reopened to the public in the form given to it by Franz Ferdinand d'Este.

The chateau offers five sightseeing tours - the salons of the south and north wings, the private rooms of Franz Ferdinand's family, the hunting trail and the Gothic cellar, as well as the St. George Museum, the shooting range and a visit to the adjacent Rose Garden with greenhouses. The castle moat is inhabited by George the Bear.

During the year, the castle hosts many events, both historical and gastronomic, such as the traditional Weekend of Plum Dumplings, which František Ferdinand loved.