Červená Lhota Castle

Červená Lhota
Château
Červená Lhota Château
Country	Czech Republic
Region	South Bohemia
District	Jindřichův Hradec
Municipality	Jindřichův Hradec
Coordinates	49°14′47.3″N 14°53′7″E / 49.246472°N 14.88528°E / 49.246472; 14.88528Coordinates: 49°14′47.3″N 14°53′7″E / 49.246472°N 14.88528°E / 49.246472; 14.88528
Style	Baroque
Founded	1530
Location in the Czech Republic
Website: Červená Lhota State Castle

Červená Lhota is a château about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north-west of Jindřichův Hradec in south Bohemia, Czech Republic. It stands at the middle of a lake on a rocky island. Its picturesque Renaissance building is a destination of thousands of tourists every year. Its name Červená Lhota meaning "red lhota" can be explained by the colour of the château's bright-red roof tiles. There is also a park, where the Chapel of the Holy Trinity (Czech: Nejsvětější Trojice) is located.

The existence of an original fortress on the site of today's château is assumed from sometime around the middle of the 14th century. It was built on a rocky granite outcrop, which, after the damming of a stream and the filling up of a fishpond, became an island. The first written source is an entry into the land records from 1465, mentioning the division of the property of deceased Ctibor of Zásmuk between his two sons Petr and Václav. The fortress then might have been sold into the ownership of Diviš Boubínský of Újezd, who sold it to the knightly family of Káb of Rybňan sometime around 1530. The family had the original Gothic castle rebuilt and the basic Renaissance remodelling carried out between 1542-1555, and the château acquired the name Nová Lhota. In 1597, the château was sold to Vilém Růt of Dírná who had the building rendered with red plaster, from which it got its name Červená Lhota. The last of the Ruts, Bohuslav, had to leave the Bohemian lands as an Utraquist after the Battle of White Mountain.

In 1621, Červená Lhota was inhabited by Antonio Bruccio, who died in 1639 without an heir. With his death, Lhota lost its function as a residence and it was used by his successors as occasional cottage. In 1641, it was acquired by aristocrat Vilém Slavat of Chlum and Košumberk and later it passed into the hands of the Windischgrätz family. Bedřich Arnošt Windischgrätz and his son Leopold dragged the dominion into great debts due to their out-dated style of economics, so the custodian of his under-aged successor Josef recommended the sale of the dominion. In 1755 the château then was obtained by the free lords of Gudenus. Franz de Paul, free lord of Gudenus, shortly afterwards initiated several constructions, which were brought to an abrupt halt in 1774 by a great fire, which destroyed essentially all agricultural buildings.