Černá Voda - Chateau

The village of Černá Voda, which takes its name from the stream of the same name, is located in historic Silesia in the foothills of the Rychlebské Mountains. The northeastern edge of the village is marked by Černá Voda Castle, a listed cultural monument.

The village of Černá Voda was first mentioned in 1284 as being in the possession of Thomas II Zaremba, Bishop of Wrocław. At that time, it also housed a bailiwick. It was abandoned during the Czech-Hungarian wars of the 15th century and was resettled between 1579 and 1581. It remained under the direct ownership of the bishops until the end of patrimonial administration, with only the administrative centers of the district changing.

Apparently, concurrent with the resettlement of the village, the feudal bailiwick was restored and became an independent episcopal fief. Probably one of the first holders, Caspar Göppert or Kryštof Gebhard, initiated the construction of the oldest part of the castle complex. The original structure had fortification features—still evident in the arrowslit windows in the northeast wall and the chapel, which originally served as a defensive bastion.

The residence took on the more comfortable character of a renaissance residence after 1617 under the Mückusch family, who were later elevated to the title of Knights von Buchberg. The bastion was converted into a chapel with a barrel vault and served as the family necropolis. Under Jan Zikmund Mückusch in the second half of the 18th century, modifications were made in the spirit of the late Baroque: a new staircase and a roof truss over the northwest wing were added. The Mückusch family also built a smaller castle in nearby Dolní Červená Voda.

In 1798, Ernst Urban Mückusch von Buchberg sold both estates to Count Conrad von Sternberg-Rudelsdorf. In 1785, a parish was established in Černá Voda, so religious services were held in the castle chapel until the Church of the Name of the Virgin Mary was built in 1788. From the early 19th century, the bailiwick was held for many years by non-nobles (e.g., Johann Tschirsch, Johann Hohlbaum, Dr. Gustav Linnartz). The rapid succession of owners prevented significant alterations; only the farm building was extended and a kitchen was added. The steward’s residence took on its current form, consisting of a residential building, stables, a wall, a tower, and a chapel.

In 1910, Baron Ferdinand von Skal, owner of nearby Kobylá, became the owner. After World War II, the castle was confiscated, and in 1948, an elementary school was established there, leading to inappropriate alterations (e.g., the later replacement of the shingle roof with asbestos cement). From 1975, the castle housed the Moravian Electrical Works in Postřelmov, which carried out invasive modifications (particularly the pouring of concrete floors).

After 1989, the castle, now privately owned, served as a shoe factory. Since 2000, the castle has been owned by Michaela Talašová Flachbartová, who repaired the roofs (plumb-tail tiles and shingle roofing on the chapel). The current owner, Magdaléna Sokolová, began systematic repairs of the building in 2024.