A historical tour of the town begins at the Town Information Centre, through the Main Square, up a gentle hill on Radniční Street, to the Upper Square where the main tour of Šternberk monuments begins. By walking around the Marian Pillar you will find yourself between the dominant architectural features of the town: the Town Hall, the former Augustinian monastery, and the parish Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. Also of significance is the hospital chapel known as “Czech” located on a gentle knoll at the end of Olomouc Street. However, by far the most significant monument is Šternberk Castle, a popular national cultural attraction with a rich history and the place where we got married.
Šternberk Castle, originally a defensive medieval residence with a preserved cylindrical tower and remnants of the main palace fortifications, attracts visitors with an extraordinary atmosphere. The charming background of the castle is formed by the castle grounds and the surrounding wooded park.
Šternberk Castle was founded in the 13th century by Zdeslav of Chlumec and Šternberk, a member of an old Czech aristocratic family. The first written record of the town is found in a document from 1269. The document also defined the borders of the Šternberk domain and Hradisko Monastery. In the 1370′s the castle was rebuilt and expanded. Bishop Albert II of Šternberk, a significant Church dignitary and influential diplomat, used the castle as his residence. The bishop’s attention was above all fixed on a chapel decorated in the same style as the chapel at the court of Charles IV. During the tour of the castle you will be surprised by the expanse and segmentation of the structure. Be sure to pay close attention to the remarkable work of painters and stonemasons who helped create a rare and unique historical monument.
In the 16th century the Berk family of Dubá and Lípa conducted a Renaissance reconstruction of the castle. Following a massive fire the castle was reconstructed to include a Renaissance wing with a “Representational Hall” and with unique square vaults. The Berk family was also involved in life in the settlement below the castle, where they built a system of farming and administrative buildings.
The history of Šternberk Castle is directly connected with the Šternberk family and turbulent moments in Czech history, with the Hussite wars, the descendants of King George of Poděbrady, the princes of Munsterberg, and with the Thirty Years War, during which both the town and the castle suffered greatly. In 1693 Prince John Adam of Liechtenstein bought the residence. The castle remained in the family until 1945.
Our experiences won’t end with the tour of the castle. If the weather cooperates don’t forget a walk through the wooded park, created in 1907-1909 by the Viennese architect Albert Esche. The new park symbolically completed the reconstruction of the castle. These days the park filed with tall, noble trees perfectly completes the castle atmosphere, and in the summer is a pleasant place for a moment of repose.
Šternberk Castle offers visitors unique collections of Italian and northern early Renaissance paintings, as well as fine samples of Dutch and Flemish Baroque painting. Originals of several of the exhibited works hang in world-renown galleries such as the Hermitage in St. Petersburg and the Louvre in Paris.
Worthy of attention are a rare collection of Gothic and Renaissance wooden sculptures; for example, the Passion of St. Kunhuta relief is apparently the oldest preserved Renaissance wood-cutting in Moravia. Gilded leather tapestries, tiled stoves, and furniture from Gothic to Empire styles present aristocratic interiors of past centuries in unique fashion. A glimpse into the life of modern nobles at the beginning of the 20th century is presented by hot-air heating, bath rooms, and a dumb waiter. A private Secessionist lift is also a surprising relic from that period.