Lány Castle

In the Middle Ages, a wooden fortress existed on the site of the current Lány Castle.

In the late 15th century, Rudolf II acquired the lands surrounding the historical fortress at Lány, constructing the present building for use as a hunting lodge on the site of the former structure. At the beginning of the 17th century, Lány Castle was extensively renovated in the Baroque style.

Lány Castle later passed to the ownership of the Waldstein family and, subsequently, to the Swabian princely House of Fürstenberg.{{cite web |title=Zámek Lány a zámecký park |url=https://www.muzeumtgm.cz/muzeum-tg-masaryka-v-lanech/zamek-lany-a-zamecky-park |website=muzeumtgm.cz |publisher=Muzeum T.G.M. Rakovník |access-date=4 November 2023 |language=cs}} During the Fürstenberg ownership, a connected chapel – the Church of the Holy Name of Jesus – was constructed.{{cite web |title=Zámek Lány |url=https://www.obec-lany.cz/cz/tip/1.zamek-lany |website=obec-lany.cz |publisher=Obec Lány |language=cs |access-date=3 November 2023 |archive-date=4 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104034417/https://www.obec-lany.cz/cz/tip/1.zamek-lany |url-status=live}}

File:Emil Hácha a August Popelka v Lánech, 1944 (cropped).jpg on the grounds of Lány Castle with August Adolf Popelka in 1944. During World War II, Lány Castle was seat of the State President of Bohemia and Moravia while Prague Castle served as the residence of the Protector.]]

Lány Castle was again renovated in 1902. In 1921, the newly independent Czechoslovakia purchased the estate from the Fürstenbergs for governmental use. Landscaping of the building's grounds was overseen by Jože Plečnik who designed the castle's fountain, which features five Doric columns embedded with lion heads representing Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, Slovakia, and Carpathian Ruthenia.

As President of Czechoslovakia, Tomáš Masaryk used Lány Castle as his country retreat.{{cite web |title=Zámek Lány |url=https://www.hrad.cz/cs/prazsky-hrad-pro-navstevniky/ostatni/zamek-lany-10271 |website=hrad.cz |publisher=Government of the Czech Republic |language=cs |access-date=3 November 2023}} On 20 December 1935, a week after Masaryk's retirement, the National Assembly unanimously enacted legislation granting him use of the castle for life.{{cite news |title=Masarsyk Bills Passed |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1935/12/21/97151693.html?pageNumber=7 |access-date=4 November 2023 |work=New York Times |date=21 December 1935}} Following his 1937 death, it was redesignated as the summer residence of the President of Czechoslovakia, though used only sporadically for that purpose.

During the period of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, Lány Castle served as the seat of the presidency of the protectorate, while Prague Castle was used as the official residence of the Protector.{{cite book |volume=2 |title=The Vlasov Case: History of a Betrayal |publisher=Russian State Archive for Social and Political History |page=385}} The 1st Battalion of the Government Army provided security and public duties at the estate.{{cite web |title=History |url=http://www.hrad.army.cz/history |website=hrad.army.cz |publisher=Army of the Czech Republic |access-date=October 27, 2017 |archive-date=October 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171027234240/http://www.hrad.army.cz/history |url-status=dead}}

File:2024 Lány castle interior 3.jpg

Lány Castle is used as the summer residence of the President of the Czech Republic.{{cite news |title=Lány chateau opens to public on Friday |url=https://english.radio.cz/lany-chateau-opens-public-friday-8769294 |access-date=3 November 2023 |work=Radio Prague International |date=9 December 2022 |archive-date=14 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214080751/https://english.radio.cz/lany-chateau-opens-public-friday-8769294 |url-status=live }} Notable visitors to Lány Castle since the 1993 creation of the Czech Republic include the 14th Dalai Lama,{{cite news |title=What Lies Beneath |url=https://tricycle.org/magazine/what-lies-beneath/ |access-date=November 4, 2023 |work=Tricycle: The Buddhist Review |date=November 14, 2016 |archive-date=4 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104183352/https://tricycle.org/magazine/what-lies-beneath/ |url-status=live}} President of Poland Lech Kaczyński,{{cite web |title=President of RP visits the Czech Republic |url=https://www.president.pl/archive/news-archive-2000-2010/news-2008/president-of-rp-visits-the-czech-republic,37423 |website=president.pl |publisher=Office of the President of Poland}} President of Austria Heinz Fischer,{{cite news |title=Rakouský prezident se přijede rozloučit, přivítá ho Zeman v Lánech Zdroj |url=https://globe24.cz/domov/1540-rakousky-prezident-se-prijede-rozloucit-privita-ho-zeman-v-lanech |access-date=November 4, 2023 |work=Globe24.cz |date=April 3, 2016 |archive-date=14 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214011341/https://globe24.cz/domov/1540-rakousky-prezident-se-prijede-rozloucit-privita-ho-zeman-v-lanech |url-status=live}} President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić and others.{{cite news |title=The Summit of the Visegrad Group in Prague begins, Vucic participates |url=https://www.b92.net/eng/news/world.php?yyyy=2019&mm=10&dd=03&nav_id=107332 |access-date=November 4, 2023 |work=B92 |date=October 3, 2019 |archive-date=4 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104184325/https://www.b92.net/eng/news/world.php?yyyy=2019&mm=10&dd=03&nav_id=107332 |url-status=live}} In 2019, it was the site of the summit of the Visegrád Group and, in 2021, Petr Fiala was officially installed as Prime Minister of the Czech Republic at Lány Castle where President Miloš Zeman was at the time convalescing from illness.{{cite news |title=Czech Republic: new government officially appointed by the president |url=https://www.agenzianova.com/en/news/repubblica-ceca-nuovo-governo-ufficialmente-nominato-dal-presidente/ |access-date=November 4, 2023 |work=Agencia Nova |date=December 17, 2021 |archive-date=4 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104184855/https://www.agenzianova.com/en/news/repubblica-ceca-nuovo-governo-ufficialmente-nominato-dal-presidente/ |url-status=live}}

The state rooms of the building were opened for public visitation for the first time in 2023.{{cite news |last=Plavecký |first=Radek |title=Prezidentský zámek Lány bude mít poprvé v historii komentované prohlídky |url=https://www.novinky.cz/clanek/cestovani-prezidentsky-zamek-lany-bude-mit-poprve-v-historii-komentovane-prohlidky-40423011 |access-date=3 November 2023 |work=Novinky.cz |date=15 February 2023 |language=cs |archive-date=4 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104034415/https://www.novinky.cz/clanek/cestovani-prezidentsky-zamek-lany-bude-mit-poprve-v-historii-komentovane-prohlidky-40423011 |url-status=live}}

• Hořovice Castle

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Category:Kladno District

Category:Castles in the Central Bohemian Region

Category:Castles in the Czech Republic

Category:Hunting lodges in the Czech Republic

Category:15th-century establishments in Europe

Category:Buildings and structures completed in the 15th century