Ratiborice Castle

Ratiborice Castle is a summer palace located in a picturesque area, among forests and fields near Nachod. It is an Empire building, associated with the figure of the writer Božena Němcova and her novel "Babunia", in which she described life in the court in the early nineteenth century.

The palace was built at the beginning of the 18th century on the instructions of the owner of the surrounding property, Lorenzo Piccolomini. It was then a baroque hunting castle similar to Italian villas. About a hundred years later, the estate belonged to the Prince of Żagań, Peter von Biron. After his death, the castle passed into the hands of his daughter Wilhelmina Żagańska. It is her character that appears on the pages of the book "Granny" as Mrs. Duchess. She was a thoroughly educated woman, smart, tasted in art and men. Her lover was, among others, Chancellor Metternich, who had visited Ratiborice many times. During one of his stays he even met with Tsar Alexander I.

The castle is a small, rectangular building with a hip roof. On its top there is a superstructure with six chimneys. Interiors are decorated in the empire style characteristic of the early nineteenth century. Here you can see representative rooms, including the dining room and living room, as well as the private apartments of Princess Wilhelmina.