Zahrádky

Zahrádky Chateau is a chateau in the village of Zahrádky in the Českolipsko region, in the Liberec region. The area around the castle was originally a separate settlement called Nový Zámek. The chateau was built after 1547 by the Vartenberg family. In the post-Hungarian confiscations, it was acquired by Albrecht von Wallenstein, who carried out building modifications in the early Baroque style and incorporated the estate into his Frýdlant Duchy. With the marriage of his daughter, the estate passed into the ownership of the Kounic family and the chateau was the main seat of the Czech Kounic line until the 20th century. In the second half of the 18th century, the castle underwent significant structural alterations. After the extinction of the Czech branch of the Kounic family, the castle was inherited by other related families and in 1945 it was nationalized as German property on the basis of the Beneš decrees. The chateau is adjacent to a well-preserved chateau park and the adjacent valley of Peklo, now the Peklo National Natural Monument. The castle burned down in January 2003 and its current owner is Charles University. Since 1958 the castle has been listed as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic, but it burned down. It was closed to the public for eleven years. In summer 2014, the owner allowed limited tours of the preserved parts and is preparing its restoration.