Černíkovice - Chateau

Černíkovice is located 6 km northwest of the district town of Rychnov nad Kněžnou. On its eastern edge stands an Empire-style chateau with an adjoining English-style park, a designated cultural monument.

The origins of Černíkovice are linked to the Žampach family, who founded a church here in the 14th century and likely a fortress as well. After the Hussite Wars, during which it served as the stronghold of the bandit Jan Kolda the Younger, Jiří of Poděbrady had it demolished in 1450. Only a farmstead remained in its place. It was not until 1558, when Matyáš Dobeš of Olbramovice separated Černíkovice from the Litice estate, that an independent estate emerged, along with the need for a manor house. He built a Renaissance fortress east of the original residence, which was expanded in the 17th century by Jindřich Kraft of Lamersdorf. In 1676, the estate was purchased by the Kolowrat family, who began using the building as a summer residence and improved it architecturally.

A major reconstruction in the Empire style was carried out between 1822 and 1825 by František Antonín Libštejnský of Kolowrat, a prominent Austrian statesman. Based on a design by Heinrich Koch, a single-story building with two wings and a distinctive façade was constructed. At the same time, an eight-hectare English-style park with a pond and a summer house was established.

After the Libštejn branch died out, the estate was inherited by the Krakowský family of Kolowrat. After World War II, the castle was nationalized and served as a vocational school and a social welfare institution, which led to its gradual deterioration. In 1991, as part of the restitution process, the property was returned to the Kolowrat family (Jaroslav Kryštof Krakovský) in poor condition and without its original furnishings.