Škvorec Old Castle

The history of this manor house, today also known as Savoia, dates back to the second half of the thirteenth century, when an original Gothic castle was built here in the Prague-East District. Over the centuries, it was held by a number of prominent owners, including the Archbishop of Prague Olbram III of Škvorec, and the noble families of Klinštejn and Smiřický of Smiřice. It was Zikmund I Smiřický of Smiřice who initiated the reconstruction of the medieval residence into a representative Renaissance chateau, which later also underwent Baroque modifications. From the end of the eighteenth century, however, the complex began to fall into irreversible decay, which led to the demolition of most of the damaged buildings after 1860. Today, only a fragment of the once magnificent complex survives, with the remaining parts protected as a cultural monument.