Bishop Tobiáš of Benešov apparently established the castle around 1294. The Šternberks held it from 1327, and George of Poděbrady's troops took it in 1468 after a siege of nearly two years. The article describes a Gothic fortification, Renaissance alterations after 1603, and a Baroque transformation under the Vrtba family after 1725. The infobox lists Renaissance-Gothic. In 1746 the upper levels of four towers were destroyed and one tower was demolished.
Josef Mocker repaired the castle from 1889 to 1894 for Franz Ferdinand, turning it into a luxurious residence. The four-winged building is three stories high. Franz Ferdinand also created an English landscape garden of 225 hectares (556 acres), with terraces and a rose garden.
The collections include a large antler collection, a shooting hall with moving targets and the Obizzi-Este armor, described as the third largest in Europe. It has been open to the public since 1971.
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