Sale of an early baroque castle on a plot of 1.6 ha, Žitenice u Litoměřic

About real estate

We offer for sale an early Baroque castle complex in Žitenice, including farmstead and garden.

The castle perches majestically on the slope, and forms a distinctive ensemble with the adjacent farmstead and the Church of St. Peter and Paul. It offers breathtaking views of Litoměřice and the Bohemian Central Uplands landscape.

The L-shaped castle with two wings is surrounded by an extensive farmstead. On the north side, a Baroque gate with a newer fence leads to the castle courtyard with a fountain. A road along the eastern walls leads to the farmyard, while an older pathway in the west separates the farmstead from an adjoining garden. Remnants of an old stone staircase lead from the promontory at the southern main wing of the castle to the lower courtyard.

The total interior area of the castle is 1,724 sqm and can offer a total of 2,368 sqm of usable space with attic expansions (645 sqm). On the three residential floors of the castle there are forty rooms (excluding the cellar, storage, stairs, corridors, and toilets). The usable area of the outbuildings is about 1,900 sqm.
The castle has 40 rooms (excluding cellar, storage room, corridors, stairs and toilets).
Area of cellar 60.38 sqm.
1st floor 503.75 sqm (16 rooms)
2nd floor 574.81 sqm (12 rooms)
3rd Floor 583.58 sqm (12 rooms)
4th floor - total space for possible future use of 645.46 sqm.

The total area of the entire castle grounds, including outbuildings, upper and lower courtyard and garden is 14,624 sqm.

Originally, a Gothic fortress stood at this location. The oldest part is the cellar under the southwest corner of the castle building covered with a barrel vault, as well as some linings of the entrances and windows. In another medieval construction phase, the eastern side of the main wing was likely added, as evidenced by dividing walls and cross-vaults without ridges in some rooms. The Renaissance remodeling had a crucial impact on the current size of the castle. At that time, a two-story west wing was built as was a south wing, elevated by another floor on the level of the newly built west wing. The west wing was adorned with arcades on the courtyard side at all levels. The Baroque transformation followed, with the entrance gate to the courtyard decorated with rusticated pilasters and a segmented gable. A stone fountain was installed, and the arcades in the west wing were bricked up on the courtyard side. Simple and group windows were inserted into these walls. A small castle chapel was established on the second floor of the south wing. There are impressive Baroque doors leading to the rooms at the same floor. The ceilings here have profiled stucco mirrors.

Fortunately, the 20th century did not significantly impact the building; only a few rooms had new thin partitions added, some windows and doors were bricked up, the roof was replaced, and the facade was renovated.

The Žitenice estate belongs to the original endowment of the Vyšehrad Chapter of the Catholic Church, founded by the first Czech king, Vratislav II. from the Přemyslid dynasty (1061 to 1092).

At the time of the Hussite wars, the Chapter lost the estate and the property was owned by various noble families.

The lords of Roupov began the rebuilding of the original fortress with farmyard into a Renaissance mansion (from the end of the 16th century).

The manor was again returned to the Vyšehrad Chapter after 1621 under the provost Jan Kryštof Kilián, and its reconstruction continued until the present form of the two-winged, early Baroque residence. The completion of this work under the provost Hugo František of Königsegg is marked on the portal of the Baroque entrance gate with the coat of arms of the Vyšehrad Chapter, the coat of arms of Hugo František Count of Königsegg and a Latin inscription with the year 1699 (the year the Baroque reconstruction was completed).

After a fire caused by a lightning strike in 1806 repairs were carried out for several years. In the first half of the 19th century, the provost Josef Alois Jüstl improved the castle gardens with a park arrangement, established terraces and pools, and built a gazebo and a greenhouse. In the seventies and eighties of the 19th century, under the provost Václav Štulek, the castle hosted a number of important Czech writers and scientists. Between 1924 and 1927, further repairs of a larger scale followed. The castle property was seized from the Chapter in 1948 and became state property. Since the 1960s, the main building of the chateau served as the State Regional Archive in Litoměřice. Of not eis the fact that the castle housed the only copy of the oldest map of Bohemia, Klaudyán's map from 1518. In 2012, the property was returned to the Vyšehrad Chapter of the Catholic Church..

Thanks to the relatively gentle use by the Litoměřice Archive and later the care of the Vyšehrad Chapter, to which the property was returned, the Žitenice Castle is still in very good structural condition. Electricity, gas connection (not in use), and public water supply are available; the sewerage leads to a septic tank without drainage. The farm buildings are partially renovated (maintained and used in a limited capacity), though some are in a dilapidated state. The gardens are temporarily cared for by local gardeners.

The enchanting landscape of the Bohemian Central Uplands presents wonderful opportunities for sports and cultural excursions. The Litoměřice region is considered the most fertile area in the Czech Republic, with the warm climate favoring fruit trees and vineyards. There are many cultural landmarks in the vicinity, such as the historic center of Litoměřice, Ploskovice Castle, Doksany Monastery, the ruins of Kamýk Castle, and Hazmburk Castle. The drive to Prague and Václav Havel Airport takes less than an hour, and the German border is reachable in under 30 minutes. The village of Žitenice and the neighboring town of Litoměřice provide complete infrastructure for every need.