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A record in the Tables of the Province from AD 1358 mentioned a fortress owned by Záviš of Trešt and Štepán of Breznice. Subsequently, the fortress was gradually rebuilt and transformed into a castle by a long series of owners starting with Margrave John of Luxembourg, future Czech king and with the owners from the house of Šternberk.
The Trešt Castle, as the main residence of the family of Vrchovište since 1513, underwent an interesting series of restorations, as a result of which the lower section of the castle was built in the Gothic style, the first storey in the Renaissance style and the residential section in the Baroque style. A unique wooden footbridge connected the castle with St. Martin's Church, but unfortunately, the footbridge has not been preserved. However, you can still see St. Martin's Church from the windows of the castle and visit it as well.
The first stage of the castle's restoration, managed among others by Italian architects ended in 1564, under the ownership of Kryštov Vencelík of Vrchovište. The castle was transformed into a four-wing building with corner towers and courtyard arcades and sgraffito-decorated walls. Kryštof Vencelík himself was buried in St. Martin's Church. His gravestone is dated AD 1582.
The barons of Vrchovište owned Trešt from AD 1490 to AD 1626, when all their property was confiscated on the grounds of their Protestant creed as well as a result of the fact that the last owner of the estate, who fought at the Battle of White Mountain, died without issue.
The town of Trešt flourished under the rule of the Venclíks of Vrchovište. The Church of St. Catherine of Sienna was built in the town square, as well as a community well and a brewery. A small Jewish community settled in the town and built a synagogue. The most common trades included the manufacture of woollen cloth and timber processing. The tradition of an annual market was likewise established under the rule of the Vrchovište family.
In AD 1626, the family of Herberstein, counts of Carinthia, became the new owners of the estate.
From 1657 to 1669, the castle was held by the family of Gayer of Edelbach, which had the first storey completely rebuilt, decorated rooms with stucco and paintings and ordered the construction of the main castle portal, as well as building the main tower, and added two fireplaces in today's restaurant and in the antechamber of the convention hall. The tile stoves in the drawing rooms and castle dining rooms, the Mannerist gateway sculptures, two vases at the entry to the castle gardens and the fountain in front of the main castle entrance also come from the 17th century. In 1669, the counts of Herberstein bought the estate back. In the period from 1831 to 1844 the estate was administrated only by appointed officials.
The English park probably dates from the period of 1835 to 1845, since the pictures of the town from before the conflagration of 1824, when 180 houses and the Church of St. Catherine of Sienna were destroyed or damaged by the flames, show only an empty plain in the location of the present park. In the period of 1844 to 1945 the estate was owned by the barons of Wenzel-Sternbach of the Tyrol. In AD 1864, Wenzel von Sternbach was elevated to the rank of knight. In AD 1860, the north side of the castle was rebuilt and the castle facade was situated west. Trešt obtained town status and privileges in 1909.
After 1945, the castle turned into a municipal museum. The castle, together with the adjoining park (15 ha) became the property of the Academy of Science of the Czech Republic in 1984. After ten years of intensive restoration works, the castle was transformed into a conference centre in 1994.
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