Libkova Voda - Chateau

In the Křemešnice Highlands between the towns of Jindřichův Hradec and Pelhřimov lies the village of Libkova Voda with its castle. Throughout the Middle Ages, this village, which belonged to nearby Božejov, appeared in written sources only because of its local parish church, and it is unlikely that there was a manor house here. As late as 1785, only a farmstead is mentioned. It was not until 1803, when Libkova Voda was purchased from the owners of the Horní Cerekev estate by an unidentified Mr Schwarz and thus became an independent estate, that the need to build a residence arose. It was built on the site of the aforementioned farmstead and bore distinctive Empire elements. If Schwarz himself was not the builder of the chateau, then it was his successor, Leopold Srnka, who added Vlásenice (also with an Empire-style chateau) to Libkovo Voda. Srnka was an art lover and invited Bedřich Smetana to the chateau in 1841. In 1851, the castle was purchased by Baron Karel Komers von Lindenbach, whose descendants resided there until 1902. They were followed by Franz Humal, after which the owners changed rapidly. Between 1936 and 1949, the castle was owned by Eduard Slavík. He was the last private owner; the castle was subsequently nationalised and transferred to the administration of the Pelhřimov State Farm. In 2024, the castle was purchased by Mr and Mrs Matějček, who established the joint-stock company Zámek Libkova Voda a.s. for this purpose. In 2025, they plan to begin a three-stage renovation of the complex.