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General and historical info
Ploskovice castle is located in a village that bears the same name, located few kilometres away from the town of Litoměřice.
A fortified fortress existed in Ploskovice already in the 12th century, and precisely in the location of the current eastern pavilion of the castle, where a kindergarten and primary school are now situated.
By the 16th century, the fortress changed owner, which almost abandoned it to construct a new castle on the area where the ticket office stands today.
At the end of the 17th century the building was inherited by Duchess Anna Maria Franziska of Saxe-Lauenburg, who decided to demolish it to build a completely new Baroque castle that would measure up to the palaces of the European nobility.
She opted for Italian and Chinese styles in the decorations and adorned it with lavish luxury. This is why the castle is often called “The Small Versailles” (malé Versailles, in Czech).
It is said that Anna Maria Franziska destroyed all the documents about the castle project and to this day we do not know much about the construction, its timeline, the costs or the architects’ names.
At the beginning of the 19th century the castle was acquired by the Grand Duke of Tuscany Ferdinand III, who belonged to a branch of the Habsburg.
In 1849, the castle became the summer residence of the abdicated Ferdinand I of Habsburg, leading to various expansions and renovations, including the addition of an extra floor and of two side buildings.
Upon Ferdinand I’s death in 1878, the castle was inherited by Emperor Franz Joseph I.
During the First Republic in 1918, the castle was transferred to state ownership and served as a summer residence for the Ministers of Foreign Affairs.
In 1938, the Nazis occupied Ploskovice, as part of the Sudetenland, and a boarding school (Napola) was established within the castle premises.
After 1945, the castle returned to the state ownership and underwent a series of renovations that did not complete until the 1980s.
The castle architecture and park
The main body of the castle has a rectangular base and comprises three floors, along with an attic topped by a beautiful bronze dome.
Most of the interiors showcase Rococo-style ornaments, while the second floor remains undecorated.
The castle’s basement includes a grotto adorned with painted walls and ceiling, as well as statues.
The park expands over 8 hectares and it hosts a pond, a big fountain, few statues and a small Baroque gloriette with three domes.
Originally, the gloriette served as a lookout, but during the Protectorate period it was converted into an entrance gate. From 2003 to 2006, the monument was restored, returning it to its original appearance and with the golden Austrian eagle of the Habsburg crown at the top.
Tourist information
The castle is open from April to October (the exact dates depend on the year) and can be visited only with paid guided tours.
The park is instead open the whole year from 8:00 to 18:00 (or to 19:00 in summer) and it is free of charge.
In the building of the ticket office, you will find also toilets and a café, with outdoor seating under the colonnade.
You can find all the information to plan your trip on the official web site of the castle.
How to get there
The castle is easily reachable whatever way you decide to travel.
- By car: it is a 1-hour ride from Prague, and if you don’t want to pay for the parking, there is a free area just around the corner.
- By train: you have to reach Lovosice first and from there take another little train to Ploskovice. During the weekend, trains are every two hours.
Then, from Ploskovice train station walk less than 2 km following the red trail until the castle main entrance.
Sometimes, the rear gate to the park is left open (point 2 on the map), and you can get in from there.
- By bus: from Prague Letňany you can jump on a bus that goes to Terezín and from there take another bus to Ploskovice. This will leave you right at the entrance of the castle.
There is also another combination of train + bus, which involves getting a train to Bohušovice nad Ohří and then a bus from there to Ploskovice.
Before starting your journey, please always consult pubtrans.cz for the most updated options and schedules.
