In the 17th century they owned the most extensive lands in the Czech Kingdom, including tens of castles and towns. However, the property was confiscated by the Emperor from the last heiress, who took sides with the Czech nobility’s revolt in 1620. Shortly after, the chateau was confiscated by the Emperor also from Adam Erdman Trčka, who, as a brother in law and trustee of Albrecht, was murdered together with him, in 1634 in Cheb during the liquidation of the so called Wallenstein’s conspiracy.
Why visit
When in 1634 Ottavio Piccolomini, the Italian general, acquired the chateau and the extensive estate as a gift from the Emperor for help with dispatching Albrecht von Wallenstein, he was only 35 years old. However, he already had a more than rich experience from the Thirty Years’ War, so it was not a wonder that his first steps in his new residence led to modernization of the fortification. Under the 150 years reign of the Piccolomini family in the Baroque and Rococo periods, the chateau basically received its current appearance.
