Horní Libchava is a Renaissance chateau near Česká Lípa that spent more than three centuries in the hands of the Order of Malta, and today hides both dark wartime secrets and a cheerful fairy-tale theatre for children. It is a place where history and local legend intertwine — including a tale of the devil carrying off a wicked estate manager.

The two-storey chateau, with its stepped gables and two four-storey towers, stands above the Šporka stream, surrounded by a historic park laid out back in the 16th century by the chateau's founder, Henry of Wartenberg. In summer the park invites long walks beneath old trees — including an American linden and a weeping ash — while in winter the snow only accentuates its striking silhouette. The chateau has seen a lot over the centuries, from the Maltese Order's archive to secret SS files brought from Berlin in 1943.

How to get there

• The chateau sits directly beside the road from Česká Lípa to Kamenický Šenov, at the start of the village of Horní Libchava — easy access via a local road
• A public bus stop from Česká Lípa is less than 5 minutes' walk away, and cycling route no. 3054 passes nearby

Practical information

• The chateau has been privately owned since 2011, opened to the public by its owner, Oldřich Kilián
• It hosts an ethnographic exhibition and the permanent Princess's Fairy-tale Theatre (season from March to December)
• It has been listed as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic since 1958

According to local legend, the devil once carried off the chateau's cruel and godless estate manager straight through the roof — and the spot he flew through still refuses to hold snow, even in the depths of winter.