Castle Kynžvart is located in the District of Okres Cheb

Cheb District

Cheb District is a district within Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the city of Cheb.-Complete list of towns and villages:Aš -Cheb -Dolní Žandov -Drmoul -...

 in the Czech Republic

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

 and is built in neoclassical

Neoclassical architecture

Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...

 archytectural style.

The first castle, built in 1623, collapsed. After the Battle of White Mountain

Battle of White Mountain

The Battle of White Mountain, 8 November 1620 was an early battle in the Thirty Years' War in which an army of 30,000 Bohemians and mercenaries under Christian of Anhalt were routed by 27,000 men of the combined armies of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor under Charles Bonaventure de Longueval,...

 during the Thirty Years' War

Thirty Years' War

The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....

 remains of the castle were confiscated and later in 1630 granted to the Metternich family. From 1682 to 1691, Count Philipp Emmerich turned the decayed ruins into a Baroque castle; from 1821 to 1836, the Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

n Chancellor Klemens Wenzel von Metternich

Klemens Wenzel von Metternich

Prince Klemens Wenzel von Metternich was a German-born Austrian politician and statesman and was one of the most important diplomats of his era...

 remodeled it in the imperial style with the help of architect Pietro de Nobile. The castle was confiscated from his family in 1945 by the Czechoslovak government.

The castle has a library that includes over 200 examples of incunabula), medieval manuscripts, valuable prints, scientific books, and scientific encyclopedias. In 1828 a museum was founded to display the castle's natural science collections, coins, historical and technological curiosities, manuscripts, ancient Egyptian monuments, marble sculptures, and pieces of Oriental art.

After extensive renovations, the castle was reopened to the public in 2000. The guided tour takes visitors through 25 rooms of the castle.