Cervena Lhota is a chateau about 20 kilometres north-west of Jindrichuv Hradec in south Bohemia, Czech Republic.
Its name Cervena Lhota meaning “red lhota” can be explained by the colour of the chateau’s bright-red roof tiles .. The chateau with a pond, a park and some farm buildings has been a national cultural monument of the Czech Republic since 2001. It is owned by the state (administered by the National Heritage Institute) and is open to the public.
The castle was built in the first half of the 16th century on the site of the Gothic citadel, and in the early 20th century it was rebuilt in pseudorenesan style. The present appearance of the castle was rebuilt from 1902 – 1910, led by the prominent Viennese architect Humbert Walcher of Moltheim. . Red Lhota is erected in the middle of a lake on a rocky island led by a stone bridge viaduct. Around the castle there are decorative flower beds with labyrinths of shrubs. Nowadays, the Red Lhota Castle is a national cultural monument and is open to visitors and the park is available for social events.
Several film and television fairy tales were filmed at the castle.In the fairy tale movie The Princess on the Pea in 1977 lives here the cocky princess who despises the swineherd. In 1995, the castle in the fairytale film The Key to Happiness is the residence of the newlyweds.
Cervena Lhota Chateau is the third most visited chateau in the South Bohemian Region- after Cesky Krumlov and Hluboka – in 2014 it was visited by more than 70 thousand people , in 2016 more than 75 thousand (in the previous years 2010 to 2013 the attendance fluctuated between 63 and almost 82 thousand.
Recently a poll held by the National Heritage Institute, Cervena Lhota Castle was placed among the three most beautiful castles and chateaux in the Czech Republic.
Access : Coordinates : 49.246472, 14.885278 / Address : Cervena Lhota 1, 378 21 Kardasova Recice / By bike :located less than 40 km north of Trebon If you are more able cyclists, you can go from Trebon to the castle by bike. /
By bus : bus stop Pluhuv Zdar, Cervena Lhota – get off at the main parking lot, it is about 5 minutes walk to the castle,bus stop Pluhuv Zdar, Cervena Lhota crossroad – follow the blue sign that leads to the castle – about 15 minutes on foot. / By car :
from Jindrichuv Hradec you can take the road no. 128 to Destne and then follow the direction Cervena Lhota (19.6 km, 25 min)
or you can turn from road no. 128 to Studnice and via Pluhiv Zdar and Jizni to get to Cervena Lhota by a little shorter route (18.3 km, 26 min.)
from Tabor you can go on the paid D3 motorway to Sobeslav and there turn to road No. 135 to Tucapy, Dirna and Cerveny Lhota (37.6 km, 38 min.)
or by road no. 603 to Plana nad Luznici and turn to Kosice, Tucapy, Dirna and Cervena Lhota (29.4 km, 42 min.)
from Pelhrimov along the E551 road to Kamenice nad Lipou, then along road no. 135 to Mnich and follow road no. 128 to Destne, then towards Cervena Lhota (38.6 km, 42 min.) / By Train :
station Sobeslav and then on foot on the yellow to Lzina and from it the shortest way on the road to Dirna and Cerveny Lhota (16.3 km) ,station Kardasova Recice and then blue (10,7 km)
Highlights :-site layout :
- The tour of the castle takes about 50 minutes, during which 16 rooms representing the nobility of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century can be seen.
- On the northern side is a landscaped park where the Renaissance Chapel of the Holy Trinity is situated. / This exhibition represents three remarkable cellar spaces partly carved out of the rocks
- The attic rooms , The children’s rooms are full of historic toys; the attic was created during the last renovation between 1902 and 1910. It is the largest loft space made of cork in the world.
- Castle interiors of the 1st floor : The exhibition represents the authentic living quarters of the last owners, the princes of Schonburg-Hartenstein in its appearance in 1910, when the last reconstruction of the castle was completed. Cervena Lhota Castle has its miniature replica in the park of Berchtold Castle.
Facilities : toilets. / Around the chateau are three parking lots /
Opening hours: April Monday – Friday closed ,Saturday – Sunday 09:30 – 17:00 /May Monday closed ,Tuesday – Sunday 09:30 – 17:00
June August Monday closed,Tuesday – Sunday 09:30 – 18:00/September Monday closed,Tuesday – Sunday 09:30 – 17:00
October Monday – Friday closed,Saturday – Sunday 09:30 – 17:00
Admission fees : 100 CZK ,Reduced price: 70 CZK,Family ticket: 270 CZK -Price for a tour of the 1st floor (seniors and children 6-15 years old 70 CZK).
Activities : tour of the castle / Visitors can rent a boat at the castle lake / Walk , A marked circular path trenches around the fishpond /
Go next : South Bohemian Region :Jindrichuv Hradec- Bechyne – Sobeslav – Veseli nad Luznici – Cesky Krumlov – Dacice – Jindrichuv Hradec
