Žerotínský zámek: A Historic Renaissance Castle in Nový Jičín

Visitor Information

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Official Website: www.muzeumnj.cz

Country: Czechia

Civilization: Early Modern, Medieval European, Modern

Site type: Military

Remains: Castle

History

Žerotínský zámek is located in the town of Nový Jičín, in what is today the Czech Republic. It originated during the medieval period, built by the Moravian nobility as part of the town’s fortifications.

The earliest construction probably took place in the last quarter of the 14th century when the lords of Kravaře, likely under the leadership of Vok III of Kravaře, erected a stone tower to protect a vulnerable corner of Nový Jičín’s town walls. By the mid-15th century, a southwestern wing had been added, housing vaulted Gothic halls, and not long after, the northeastern wing was at least partly constructed, extending the castle’s footprint within the defensive complex.

In 1500, the estate, including Nový Jičín, transferred to the Moravian noble family known as the Žerotíns. Their ownership marked a significant transformation of the castle. Viktorín of Žerotín completed the northeastern wing by 1529. Following his death in 1532, Bedřich of Žerotín oversaw a major rebuilding phase between 1532 and 1541. During this time, the castle evolved from a Gothic fortress into a fortified Renaissance château of the type known as a kastel, characterized by a four-winged layout and defensive Renaissance features such as attics with loopholes and turrets. A western wing and Renaissance-style stables in the southeastern wing were added. Period images indicate the castle was crowned with multiple Renaissance turrets, numbering between six and twelve.

After Bedřich’s death, construction activity declined. In 1558, his son Jan sold the castle along with the town and estate to King Ferdinand I, turning Nový Jičín into a royal chamber town. The castle ceased to serve as a noble residence and was repurposed as a town hall by the late 16th century. By 1593, the northeastern wing was extended to accommodate this administrative function.

Following the defeat of the Bohemian Estates uprising, the Jesuit order assumed control of the estate and established their official center within the castle. The Jesuits made modest alterations mainly to repair fire damage after 1680 and converted parts of the building into grain storage, offices, and living spaces for officials. They added an upper floor above the Renaissance stables, which became a residential area. It is also probable they decorated the so-called “Tereziánský” hall with Baroque frescoes. Over time, the town council gradually moved out, receiving a new town hall in 1659, leaving the Jesuits as primary occupants. Their architectural influence remained limited to practical changes rather than extensive remodeling.

The dissolution of the Jesuit order in 1773 led to several ownership changes until the Theresian Military Academy acquired the castle in 1781. The academy initially ran a military hospital there from 1779 to 1796. From the 1830s until 1869, the builder Ignác Kloss conducted significant renovations, modernizing interiors, replacing roofs, adding staircases, and removing many of the Renaissance defensive features, including the attic and most turrets. Only two large turrets on the western wing and a small turret on the northeastern wing remained visible.

Among the notable visitors during this period was Archduke Charles, later Emperor Charles I, who stayed overnight in 1912 with his wife Zita during an inspection tour.

After the founding of Czechoslovakia, the military academy ceased operating in the castle. In 1925, it became part of the Straka Foundation under the Ministry of Education. Throughout the interwar years, portions of the castle served as a school. Plans existed to demolish parts or all of the castle during the 1930s but were not realized.

Under Nazi occupation from 1938, the town took ownership of the castle in 1940 and began converting it into the Kravařsko Museum. This included adding a floor to the southeastern wing and uncovering vaulted ceilings in the northeastern wing’s Knight’s Hall and Stone Hall. Renovations also applied pseudo-Renaissance window frames around the second courtyard.

The castle underwent full conversion into a museum by 1949, initially hosting a Hat Museum in collaboration with the local TONAK hat-making company, showcasing collections connected to Czech historical figures. Over the following decades, the museum expanded its scope by merging with the District Museum and adding exhibitions on natural history, nativity scenes, and revolutionary history.

Since the 1990s, the castle has housed permanent exhibitions focused on local history and hat fashion. Restoration projects have been undertaken to preserve historic interiors and Baroque frescoes. Today, the castle serves as the seat of the Museum of Novojičínsko and its branch, presenting visitors with displays relating to regional history, traditional crafts, and the area’s renowned hat-making heritage.

Remains

The Žerotínský zámek is a Renaissance four-winged building laid out in the shape of the letter “F,” constructed atop the site of an earlier wooden town fortress. Its earliest surviving feature is a stone tower built in the late 14th century at the northwest corner of Nový Jičín’s town walls. This tower formed a key defensive position and is found at the backbone of the castle’s layout.

Attached to the tower is the southwestern wing, completed by 1465, notable for its three tall vaulted Gothic halls on the ground floor. The vaulted ceilings and stonework of this wing remain among the medieval elements still visible today. A northeastern wing, partially built by the late 15th century and completed in the early 16th century, rounds out the medieval phase of construction.

The Renaissance period brought further expansion with the addition of a western wing and stables in the southeastern wing. These were surrounded by an attic featuring small defensive openings called loopholes and topped with Renaissance turrets. Historical images from 1729 show six turrets crowning the castle, though no more than twelve were ever present. The Renaissance loggia—or covered gallery—on the first courtyard displays the combined coat of arms of Bedřich of Žerotín and his wife Libuše of Lomnice, reflecting the castle’s noble associations.

During Jesuit administration, an upper floor was added above the Renaissance stables. This space now houses a permanent exhibition named “Ve znaku zavinuté střely I.” The Jesuits likely created the “Tereziánský” hall decorated with Baroque frescoes, adding artistic value to the interior.

The 19th-century renovations led by Ignác Kloss significantly altered the castle’s appearance. Most Renaissance fortifications, including the attic and the majority of turrets, were removed. Only two large turrets at the northern end of the western wing—currently the administrative hub of the museum—and a small turret with an attic on the northeastern wing remain visible in the first courtyard. Kloss also introduced a Romanesque-style arcaded frieze on the attic level and bricked up previously open loopholes, reducing the fortress-like character.

In the second courtyard, 20th-century enhancements included the installation of stone pseudo-Renaissance window frames. During Nazi-era adaptations, the southeastern wing was raised by an additional floor, now hosting the “Nechte na hlavě” exhibition focused on hats.

Interior spaces such as the Knight’s Hall and Stone Hall feature vaulted ceilings uncovered during mid-20th-century renovations, highlighting the building’s medieval roots. The Renaissance Beam Hall was restored in the 1990s, preserving fragments of 17th-century Baroque painted beams adorned with grapevine motifs.

The castle’s courtyards have evolved over time. Some service buildings around the first courtyard were demolished, and a modern wall creating a gateway into the second courtyard was built in the 1960s and 1970s. Archaeological remains such as late Gothic portals, window surrounds, and remnants of oriel windows (projecting bay windows) are preserved and can be seen in the second courtyard, illustrating the castle’s layered history.

The current condition of Žerotínský zámek reflects its rich past, showing traces of medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and 19th-century historicist styles alongside 20th-century museum adaptations. It stands as a testament to centuries of architectural development and changing uses.