The Klecany Chateau stands before you a testament to centuries of history. Its story begins long before its current form. Imagine a simple fortress in 1380. The Olbramovic family owned it then. Powerful noble families controlled Klecany Chateau. They shaped its destiny for years.
This wasn’t just a fortress though. Klecany Chateau was more than that. It became a center of power. The chateau changed hands many times. In 1418 Mikuláš Meixner owned it. He was a staunch Hussite. He fled the chateau later. Prague’s Old Town then claimed it. In 1435 Jan of Kunvald bought Klecany Chateau. His family kept it for decades. By the 1500s the chateau saw many more owners. One of them was Kašpar Zelender. He sold his part to Jiří Vchynský.
The Lobkowicz family acquired Klecany Chateau in 1616. They added it to their Chvatěruby estate. Not long after it was sold to Adam Matyáš of Tratmannsdorf. Several other owners followed until Václav Vojtěch of Šternberk bought it in 1691. He continued building the unfinished structure. The costs were high. Šternberk lost interest due to debts. He gave up the chateau in 1713.
The three-wing Baroque chateau then stood proud. It had a two-story main section. The side wings each had one story. Empresses visited Klecany Chateau. Maria Theresa visited twice. A banquet was even held in her honor. A plan of the table setting survives. The Gallases and Clam-Gallases owned the Chateau for almost eighty years.
Twice fires ravaged Klecany Chateau. This was in 1827 and 1857. Antonín Balle owned the Chateau from 1847. He rebuilt it after the first fire. After the second fire it was reconstructed in Empire style. The original interior layout remained. The southern facade received ornate decorations. A central part was added. It features arched windows. Pillars and a tympanum also stand there. A quarter-wing addition came later. The army used Klecany Chateau in the mid-20th century. A cinema operated there too.
A private company bought it in the 1990s. They did complete renovations from 2004. This included the chateau park. In 2023 it was on the real estate market. It remains unsold today. The Klecany Chateau a silent observer through the years. Its stones bear witness to its rich and complex past. A truly remarkable piece of Czech history.