Děčín chateau
The chateau lies in the very centre of the town of Děčín above the confluence of the Elbe (Labe) and Ploučnice rivers. It is one of the biggest and historically most important buildings of its kind in the Czech Republic. After being reconstructed several times it took on the form of a baroque-classical chateau.
On the site of the present chateau a wooden fortress had existed since the 10th century. In the 13th century this fortress was converted into a royal castle. Since the early 14th century the building served as the representative residence of several noble families whose destiny was influenced most identifiably by the lords of Vartenberk, Bünau and the counts of Thun-Hohenstein. In 1932 the Thun family for economic reasons was forced to sell the chateau to the Czechoslovak state.
Since 1932 the castle area progressively served Czechoslovak, German and Soviet military garrisons. The armies’ residence considerably damaged the building. The departure of the Soviet army in 1991 allowed for the start of renewal of the castle area and to make access easier.
Today the chateau is under the ownership of the town of Děčín and is a dominant landmark of this border area which cannot be missed.