Historic sights and monuments

Baroque Castle

The construction of a new castle was begun between 1699 and 1700 by Anna Marie Francesca, The Grand Duchess of Tuscany. During the baroque period renowned architects such as K.I. Dienzenhofer and A. Lurago were involved in building modifications to the castle. Between 1747 and 1754 two monumental classicist wings were added to the original structure of the castle. At the beginning of the 19th century the castle became the property of the Habsburgs.

Throughout its history the castle welcomed plenty of significant residents and visitors, including the overthrown French king Charles X. and his son’s tutor, Ing. Joachim Barrande, the French writer François Auguste René de Chateaubriand amongst them.

In 1918 it came into ownership of the newly established Czechoslovak Republic. Between the 1920s and 1980s various state institutions resided here. At the end of 1980s, the castle was transferred to the National Library of the Czechoslovak Republic. Its reconstruction has, unfortunately, never been finished and the castle has continued to fall into disrepair.

In 1992 it was purchased by a private company with the intention of being converted into a luxury hotel. However, the plan never became reality and the castle continued to fall into despair until 2003, when it finally became the property of the Bustehrad municipality, and plans for its restoration could finally start. Up to today the reconstruction of the western wing of the castle has been successfully completed and since 2014 it housed the Municipal authority as well as the Library, since 2015. A new Tourist Information Centre with a Cafe was opened in 2018, thus regaining the castle’s reputation of being the cultural and social centre of the town.

Castle gardens

The northern part of the garden below the castle was renovated in 2011 by the Central Bohemia Regional Authority. The Southern garden, that used to reach as far as the main road (Kladenska Street), was subdivided in the 1970s when new blocks of flats were constructed in the southern park, thus completely hiding its view from the south.

Church of the Elevation of the Holy Cross

Between 1812 and 1816, two monumental classicist wings were added to the original structure of the castle by Leopold, The Grand Duke of Tuscany. The castle Chapel located in the left wing was later extended in 1897: its former Empire style facade was transferred to the south and set above the main entrance gate. The Emperor Franc Josef I. established the current parish Church of the Elevation of the Holy Cross on the site. Beautiful illusionistic ceiling paintings decorate the inside of the cupola.

The Old Castle

Since the middle of 13th century there was a fortress and later a castle owned by many distinguished and important aristocratic families. Thanks to its extensive and densely built stone construction and its plentiful conversions over time, as well as its sophisticated fortification system that included several polygonal towers, it had up to the 15th century gradually become one of the largest castle complexes of the time.

After being severely damaged during the Thirty Years' War the castle was left to slowly decay until the 18th century, when the locals started using its stones and remaining walls to build their new homes within the castle ruins, thus laying the foundations of today’s unique quarter The Old Castle.

Regrettably, we do not know the exact shape and outward form of the castle in Medieval times, as only pictures and views of the large castle ruins are known today. The best-preserved remnants of the old castle and its fortification include the western gothic portal. Other remains of the castle ruins can be seen esp. in houses No. 11, 13, 17, 25. However, a vast labyrinth of vaults and castle cellars stretching beneath most houses of today’s Old Castle may give some indication of the extensive size of the original castle.

Marian Column

Near the baroque castle you will find a 5-m-tall copy of the Marian Column, from the 18th century, depicting two angels carrying a relief of the Virgin Mary from Stará Boleslav. The original Marian Column is located in the niche of the Castle courtyard next to the Church.

Edifice of The Elementary School of Arts (ZUŠ) – the former County Residence and Administration building

This early baroque building with a mansard roof, formerly the residence of the County Governor, was built after the Thirty Years' War as a provisional mansion when the landowners of the county were considering a renovation of the burnt-out castle. Instead of reconstruction, construction of a brand-new castle residence was decided upon. Since 1982 the building has been used by the Elementary School of Arts (ZUŠ) and serves children of all ages learning how to play musical instruments, sing, dance or create art.

Brewery

According to archival documents the Bustehrad brewery belonged among the oldest breweries. The brewing right was granted in 1497 together with other town privileges. However, the first written records about the brewery are dated no earlier than 1548. During the Thirty Years' War the brewery became devastated, however it got renovated in 1633. Finally, in 1755 it was converted by Italian architect A. Lurago, who also participated in the building of the baroque castle. After another hundred years the brewery was enlarged: the area of the former manorial mill was added, and new lager cellars were dug out in 1873.

After the establishment of the Czechoslovak Republic the brewery was passed to the state and beer was brewed until 1967 when the brewery closed down and the premises has served other purposes since then.

In the 1990s the former brewery building was privatised, and its new owner planned to demolish it in 2006. Luckily, the demolition plan was not realised and the administrative building of the former brewery, No. 111, with its unique central roof structure was listed as a cultural heritage monument. Yet, despite its unique heritage status it is still waiting for an enlightened and visionary investor.

Ota Pavel’s Elementary and Nursery School

The old building of Bustehrad school – a very distinctive local landmark seen from all over the town - was built between 1890 and 1891 and is still being used, even though a new school building was constructed behind it during the 1950s.

St. Mary Magdalene’s Chapel

The biggest chapel in Buštěhrad with a belfry dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene, the patroness of the town, was built on the Square opposite the brewery. It is an octagonal building with a prism-shaped turret and a flat arched interior.

In the beginning of the 19th century an icon of St. Mary Magdalene created by B. Spranger was moved here from the defunct gothic castle chapel. However, currently the original oil painting on copper is located in the Central Bohemian Museum in Roztoky. There is a reproduction placed in the chapel, which was renovated in 2019.

Tuscan Column

On the Square nearby the former brewery and St. Mary Magdalene’s Chapel you will also find a 6-metre-tall sandstone Tuscan Column with a sculpture of the Virgin Mary dating back to the end of the 17th century.

Pillory

Remnants of a whipping post can be found in front of building No. 65 – the former town hall. The pillory is a prism shaped 1.2-metre-tall sandstone block with two holes on top, indecipherable writing below and the remains of an inscription with the year 1752 carved in a rectangular frieze with rounded angles.

Mosaic Coat of Arms

The town’s coat of arms depicting a castle and St. Mary Magdalene was granted to Bustehrad by king Vladislav Jagellonsky in 1497. Its mosaic image was created by H. Servusová and M. Jaroš in 2018 within the competition to “Beautify Bustehrad.”

Water Tower

Erected in 1933 and designed by Ing. J. Matička in the functionalist style, the reinforced concrete water tank construction of circular ground plan is a technical structure of great architectonic value. Its cylindrical water cistern is supported by a narrow shaft consisting of 8 reinforced concrete pillars with fair-faced side-lining work that culminate in cantilever beams under the tank.

Recess Chapels

Three recess chapels dating back to the 18th century can be found within the town limits. Just opposite the cemetery there is St. Anna’s Chapel. The next one, near the road towards Lidice, was devoted to St. Salvator. In the middle of the field, where once used to be a cart-road heading to Vrapice, you will see the Trinity Chapel. In this one you can admire the Trinity mosaic created by Veronika Richterová, MgA. in 2006.

The Former Castle Granary “Sýpka”

On the East side of the chateau there used to be an extensive farmstead. These yards are nowadays privately owned, and most buildings were demolished. The only house preserved to these days is the granary, originally a large oblong baroque building, rebuilt during the 19^th and 20^th century. These days the granary is one of the important community centres of Buštěhrad where you may find The Sýpka Wine bar with a vineyard and a wine shop and The Sýpka Art Gallery providing large exhibition space and studios rented to local artists.