The picturesque, originally Gothic castle was built approximately in 1241 as a guarding castle. Property of the Lemberk family until the end of the 14th cent, rebuilt in the Renaissance style and later adapted in the Baroque style. . The exhibition of the history of interior culture, a garden and an English park not far from the chateau.
"The oldest preserved part of the castle is the main tower. The accurate design and location of the castle hasn’t been ever found out, not even during the archaeological research in 1994. The lords of Lemberk owned the castle until the end of the 14th century.
In the 15th century, during the Hussite wars, the owners came and went; most of them were Lusatian and Saxon aristocrats. The castle gradually lost its early Gothic design and was rebuilt as a renaissance chateau. In 1550, the Lemberk domain was inherited by Henry Kurzbach of Trachenberg, and a period of peace and economic growth began. Henry brought new inhabitants to decayed villages, built and bought other hamlets, established new millhouses, sawmills, and a brewery.
Another renaissance reconstruction occurred in the beginning of the 17th century when the chateau and the domain already belonged to the Donín House. The second floor of the building was built, and the façade was fitted with a sgraffito. Around 1610, a wooden tile ceiling was made in the grand hall, decorated by paintings inspired by fables. Hence the name “Fable Hall”. After 1620 the domain was taken over by Albrecht of Wallenstein, and after his death in 1634 it became property of John Rudolph Breda. Between 1660 and 1680, the Breda house invited artists and architects from the Netherlands and Italy, and had the chateau rebuilt into the baroque design. In these years, the current design of Lemberk was created, with rich stucco decorations.
During the Seven Years War, the chateau was severely damaged. In 1758, the Fable Hall was used as a field infirmary for the soldiers wounded in the Battle of Hochkirk. Due to lack of drugs and faulty supply, over 1,000 men died here. They are buried in the forest near the chateau, and the place is marked by a wooden crucifix.
During the 19th century, minor building adjustments were made at Lemberk. The Clam-Gallases changed all the windows, doors and tiled stoves, and repaired the sculptural decorations in the Breda Garden. The vacant area near the garden was given to the village so a school could be built that worked until 1879.
After the last male descendant of the house, Franz Clam-Gallas, Lemberk was inherited by one of his daughters, Princess Gabrielle Auersperg. In 1945, the chateau was nationalized by the Decree No. 12 issued by President Edvard Beneš. The National Committee in Prague put Lemberk in a national control; the national caretaker was Jan Urban from Komárov near Horovice."
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