A real estate agency is selling the romantic Zinkovy castle, a cultural monument in the south of the Plzeň region, for CZK 200 million. It is one of the largest privately owned castles in the Czech Republic. The recreation-oriented municipality would welcome the opening of the grounds with a large park to the public, according to Josef Karhan (Zinkovské SNK), the mayor of the village with 850 inhabitants.
The monument is being offered on the web by the multinational real estate network Christie’s, whose partner in the Czech Republic is the real estate agency Svoboda & Williams. “The castle has been for sale for about four years, it’s somehow under a curse. The original sale price has been significantly reduced to the current 200 million,” the mayor said. He said Crown Estates, whose American owner has been in the information technology business, has been the owner since 2007. “The exterior has been completely repaired, the landscaping around the monument has been completed and we understand it is half repaired on the inside,” he said.
According to the mayor, the castle is well-known among Czechs and Slovaks, as trade union holiday makers used to go there during the previous regime. “If I come somewhere and say I’m from Žinkov, the locals know it,” Karhan said. The public hasn’t been able to visit the chateau or the park for years; previously there were tours a few days a year. Until last year, there was a café in front of the entrance, which was frequented by tourists and cyclists, but this year it is closed. “The castle is preserved, ready to be sold. The owner does not contact us, we only communicate with a lady from the real estate agency Svoboda & Williams,” said the mayor.
People can now walk around the pond in front of the site, but are not allowed into the fenced park. They would like it if they could enter the castle and park. “It would help tourism, it would revitalize the region. Opening it up would also bring jobs for our people,” Karhan said. The pub on the square has been closed since the covid, and a small Moto Cafe, serving ice cream and beer, has newly opened on the quay.
The history of the monument dates back to the 12th century, when there was a water fortress there. The early Baroque castle was built in the second half of the 17th century and rebuilt in 1897 by Viennese architects in a pseudo-Renaissance style. It was owned by personalities such as the Lobkowicz, Harrach and Skoda families. Since 1950 it has served as the centre of the ROH and since 1963 it has been a cultural monument. According to the real estate agent, the complex with a living area of 12,000 m2 and a 19-hectare well-kept forest park consists of, in addition to the main castle building, a renovated administrative building with a restaurant and kitchen, conference rooms, office space, four apartments, a partially renovated farm building and 12 bungalows. Since 1989, the castle has changed hands and fallen into disrepair. Between 1993 and 2007 it was completely closed. There are two large ponds next to the grounds.
Source: CTK
Photo: castleist.com
