Today’s small town of about 500 inhabitants with its small castle on the town square bears the name of Jan of Dub, and later the Dubský family. The chateau is used when the mayor performs marriages and welcomes newborn citizens, and it’s also a venue for children’s gatherings and concerts. The castle, including its picture gallery, is open to the public all year round.
The chateau has seen a number of owners pass through the centuries: Markvart, Bucquoy, Rajský, Zucker, and the Barons of Nádherný. The knight Mořic of Honigstein rebuilt the mansion in Neo-Gothic style, but he fell into debt and left the estate in poverty.
In 1865 the chateau was bought by the Prague burgher Odkolek, but he also sold it, then after several other changes in ownership the building went to the Bromov family. After the death of her husband, the widow Marie, born Daubková of Liteň, assumed control over the estates. She lived here with children until 1948, when they all left the country. Her adult son returned after the political changes in Czechoslovakia after 1989 and received the castle in restitution in 1992. Ing. Jaroslav Battaglia, Knight of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, accepted his uncle’s offer to buy it in 1998, and he and his wife, Jana Maria, began the extensive renovation process.
The agricultural school that had occupied the premises left no less than 200 tons of waste behind, so the new owners wasted no time getting to work. The plan is to restore the chateau’s Neo-Gothic appearance from the time of the Honigstein knights. Some of the 27 rooms have already been completely redone, the furniture is being repaired, and the mirrors in the renovated mirror salon are being polished. Some original unique items have been preserved, such as the kitchen tiles, the valuable piano, and the Renaissance stone door jambs from 1609.
Wedding ceremonies here are worked out to the smallest detail, including releasing doves from the chateau balcony. It is said that if the two doves fly away in the same direction, the marriage will be a happy one. Newlyweds have nothing to fear, however – the chateau owner knows that the doves’ home is at the neighbors, so they always fly off in the same direction.
Nearby tips: Helfenburk Visit the remains of the castle ruins of Helfenburk on Malošín hill, about 5 km from Bavorov.