Mělník is 35 km north of Prague; 45 minutes by bus. A town known for its chateau which sits perched atop the confluence of the Vltava and the Labe Rivers where its wine cellars from the 14th Century are still active today.
Mělník has 160 hectares of vineyards and forms the largest vineyard in Bohemia, with these vineyards being one of the northern-most viticulture areas in Europe. The vineyards here are situated on the south-facing slopes in the valleys of the rivers Elbe and Vltava and are overlooking the merging of these two rivers.
Melnik has a castle as well which dates from the time of Charles the IV and was to become the residence of the queen widows of Bohemia. Under Emperor Charles IV Mělník became a royal city. The last queen who resided in Mělník, was the wife of Jirí of Poděbrad. In 1542 the Castle was reconstructed in the Renaissance Style.
During the Thirty Years War, the Castle was abandoned. In 1646 Count Czernin began a major reconstruction and added an Early Barroque southern wing. The Count purchased the Melnik Estate form the Emperor. The heiress of the Czernin family, Countess Ludmilla Czernin, married Prince August Anton Lobkowicz in 1753. (Remember the Lobkowicz family from last week's post on Nelahoreves)
And except for the period during the Second World War and the 40 years under communist rule, Mělník Castle has remained in the Lobkowicz family. The present owner, Jiří(George) Lobkowicz, has been renovating the Castle since 1992.
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