Žihobce - castle
Among the oldest settlements of Pošumaví is the ancient mountain village of Žihobce, located 8 km east of Sušice at an altitude of 543 meters. The first mention of it dates back to the beginning of the medieval colonization of the region, promoted mainly by monasteries. according to a document forgery from the end of the 13th century, which dates back to 1045, the Břevnov monastery acquired a row of villages from the Bohemian prince Břetislav at the time, including Žihobce. The center of this donated county was Nezamyslice, and in addition to Žihobec it included Žichovice, Hliný Újezd, Hydčice, Hejná, Kejnice, Kalenice, Domorazy, Krejnice, Škúdra, Zvotoky, part of Podmokel, Dolní Staňkov, Volšovy and a customs house in Březnice near the former Vintíř monastery near Dobrá Water near Hartmanice. The emerging settlement of Sušick thus represented a wedge running from Horažďovice around Otava and Vintířová path to the area of the later Hartmanice.
According to August Sedláček, a fortress probably stood in Žihobec already in the 14th century and belonged to the lords of Žihobec. In the years 1350 - 1368, Seagull from Žihobec is remembered as co-patron of the churches in Bukovník and Kadov. The local parish chronicle from the end of the 18th century tells that "Žižka, laying siege to the Rábský castle, murdered the holder and priest of Žihobeck and uprooted the local fortress."
A number of owners took turns in possession of the Žihobec estates, among them were, for example, the Kocz family from Dobrš, the Lokšan family or the war adventurer Martin de Hoef Huerta. At the end of the 17th century, Ferdinand Iselin, a free lord from Lanau, built a baroque castle in Žihobice, which is still preserved today. Finally, in 1710, Žihobce came under the ownership of the Lamberk princes and was attached to their Ráb and Žichovice estates.
The Lamberks were an old Carinthian - Carniolan family that can be traced back to the beginning of the 13th century. Several estates in southwestern Bohemia, among them Rábí, Žichovice and Žihobce, were purchased a few years before his death by the Bishop of Passau, cardinal and diplomat Johan Filip z Lamberg (1651 - 1712). Gustav Joachim (1812 - 1862), who lived on his Pošumav estates and was friends with the Šumava writer Adalbert Stiefler, is probably the most famous of the Lamberki, thanks to the book Kněžna Káč by the Žihobec native and Sušice high school professor František prázky. Prince Gustav Joachim fell in love with the charming village girl Kateřina Hrádková (1824 - 1889), the daughter of a jeweler in Čejkovy. Despite the opposition of his relatives, he took his love to the castles in Žichovice and Žihobce and had nine illegitimate children with her. The prince was very popular in the estates, he was known as a benefactor. People nicknamed Katerina "Princess Káča". She was a naturally intelligent woman and managed to supplement her education, including languages. The prince tried to legalize his relationship with Katerina and married her in 1855. At that time, Kateřina was already more or less accepted by the surrounding aristocratic society, which accepted the prince's decision. After the marriage, the last tenth child was born. Out of ten children, eight were sons. Only after the marriage of their parents were they legitimized and accepted as Counts of Lamberk.
The main landmarks of the village are the castle and the church located in the very center of the village. The castle - an early Baroque rectangular one-story building with a raised ground floor and slightly protruding ridges on the sides - attracts attention with the division of its facades with a large inscription on a stone slab from 1688. Inside, a number of original scroll drawings have been preserved, which are sometimes complemented by stucco mirrors at the tops. The park behind the castle still bears legible traces of the founding care of the educated prince Gustav Joachim of Lamberk.
Currently, the castle houses the Lamberská stezka museum in Žihobce, which presents the history of the village of Žihobce connected with the Lamberk family. The Lamberk family owned the castle until 1945. Part of the exhibition is a reconstruction of the castle interior from the 19th century. and an exhibition dedicated to the nature of Pošumaví and the history of the surrounding villages
Source: Leaflet Žihobce municipality Lamberské stezky
According to August Sedláček, a fortress probably stood in Žihobec already in the 14th century and belonged to the lords of Žihobec. In the years 1350 - 1368, Seagull from Žihobec is remembered as co-patron of the churches in Bukovník and Kadov. The local parish chronicle from the end of the 18th century tells that "Žižka, laying siege to the Rábský castle, murdered the holder and priest of Žihobeck and uprooted the local fortress."
A number of owners took turns in possession of the Žihobec estates, among them were, for example, the Kocz family from Dobrš, the Lokšan family or the war adventurer Martin de Hoef Huerta. At the end of the 17th century, Ferdinand Iselin, a free lord from Lanau, built a baroque castle in Žihobice, which is still preserved today. Finally, in 1710, Žihobce came under the ownership of the Lamberk princes and was attached to their Ráb and Žichovice estates.
The Lamberks were an old Carinthian - Carniolan family that can be traced back to the beginning of the 13th century. Several estates in southwestern Bohemia, among them Rábí, Žichovice and Žihobce, were purchased a few years before his death by the Bishop of Passau, cardinal and diplomat Johan Filip z Lamberg (1651 - 1712). Gustav Joachim (1812 - 1862), who lived on his Pošumav estates and was friends with the Šumava writer Adalbert Stiefler, is probably the most famous of the Lamberki, thanks to the book Kněžna Káč by the Žihobec native and Sušice high school professor František prázky. Prince Gustav Joachim fell in love with the charming village girl Kateřina Hrádková (1824 - 1889), the daughter of a jeweler in Čejkovy. Despite the opposition of his relatives, he took his love to the castles in Žichovice and Žihobce and had nine illegitimate children with her. The prince was very popular in the estates, he was known as a benefactor. People nicknamed Katerina "Princess Káča". She was a naturally intelligent woman and managed to supplement her education, including languages. The prince tried to legalize his relationship with Katerina and married her in 1855. At that time, Kateřina was already more or less accepted by the surrounding aristocratic society, which accepted the prince's decision. After the marriage, the last tenth child was born. Out of ten children, eight were sons. Only after the marriage of their parents were they legitimized and accepted as Counts of Lamberk.
The main landmarks of the village are the castle and the church located in the very center of the village. The castle - an early Baroque rectangular one-story building with a raised ground floor and slightly protruding ridges on the sides - attracts attention with the division of its facades with a large inscription on a stone slab from 1688. Inside, a number of original scroll drawings have been preserved, which are sometimes complemented by stucco mirrors at the tops. The park behind the castle still bears legible traces of the founding care of the educated prince Gustav Joachim of Lamberk.
Currently, the castle houses the Lamberská stezka museum in Žihobce, which presents the history of the village of Žihobce connected with the Lamberk family. The Lamberk family owned the castle until 1945. Part of the exhibition is a reconstruction of the castle interior from the 19th century. and an exhibition dedicated to the nature of Pošumaví and the history of the surrounding villages
Source: Leaflet Žihobce municipality Lamberské stezky
