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We associate Ostrava mainly with an industrial city, which of course does not fully reflect its character, but it also does not deviate significantly from the true. Among the factories and blocks of flats, I recently discovered a gem where you can drink good beer, eat dinner and stay overnight in one of the “chambers” – Chateau Zábřeh.
Location
Chateau Zábřeh is a 17th century Renaissance manor house located in the Zábřeh district of Ostrava (Moravia/Czech Republic). It is 7 kilometers from the Ostrava square (Masarykovo náměstí) and 4 kilometers from the Dolní Vítkovice complex.
The facility has its own parking lot, with plenty of parking spaces. Remember that when driving from Poland to Ostrava, the section of the motorway to this city is exempt from tolls (you do not need a vignette).
The history of Chateau Zábřeh
The history of this place dates back to the 15th century. It was then that a Gothic fortress stood in the place of the current hotel. The name Zábřeh itself informs us about the object behind the bank, in this case the Ondřejnice River. Before this area became part of Ostrava, it was the village of Zábřeh nad Odrou. The owners of the estate include people such as Ctibor Syrakovský from Pěrkov, and later the Olomouc diocese. This place is the second oldest facility in Ostrava.
The modern history of the facility began in 2000, after renovation activities, and since 2005 it has been recognized as a cultural monument. It is worth adding that the supporting structures were not damaged during the renovation works. The building has original windows, staircases and ceilings.
Hotel
There are several dozen rooms at guests’ disposal, each decorated in a different, original style. These include the Renaissance room with the oldest vault in the entire complex, the master’s bedroom, the lady’s room, the hunting room, the African room and the tower where I slept. The rooms range from approximately twenty to seventy square meters and are equipped with bathrooms. There are also several more modern rooms in the hotel.
Depending on the type of room selected, prices range from CZK 1,990 (LOFT rooms), through historical rooms (CZK 2,190) to the African suite (CZK 2,990). Prices are for a double room.
The hotel itself has a generally calm atmosphere and you can feel the historical atmosphere.
Brewery
In Chateau Zábřeh, like in many places of this type in the Czech Republic, there is a mini-brewery. In addition to the classic lager, you can also find limited productions. During my stay, there was wheat beer with raspberries on tap, which was very refreshing and delicious! The offer includes beers
- zámecké pivo pikard®
- pikard® světlý ležák 11°
- pikard® tmavý ležák 11° puškvorcový
- pikard® pšeničná 11°, svrchně kvašená “weizen”
- pikard® speciál dle nabídky
Beer traditions in this place date back to 1574. After the reconstruction of the entire facility, the brewery was launched in 2007.
Interestingly, in addition to beer for consumption, the hotel also offers beer and wine spa treatments. They have great skin care and nourishing properties. I had the opportunity to try this type of attraction in another place
Cuisine
One of the ideas behind the reconstruction of the manor house was respect for history, while the other was to put emphasis on the high quality of ingredients used in the kitchen. Miroslav Moldřík, the chef, emphasizes that the menu in the hotel restaurant is seasonal. Completely different products taste better in June and different ones in August, even though it is still summer, which is why the restaurant menu changes about every two weeks.
During my stay, I ate delicious Svickova (by the way, if you don’t know this dish, you must catch up – my recipe for Svickova). The whole feast started with a delicious steak tartare with garlic croutons, and as a beer snack there was aromatic and perfectly prepared marinated Olomouc cottage cheese. Large portions, nicely presented, and the service at the highest level. You can talk to some of the waiters in Polish, after all, Ostrava is just a stone’s throw from the border.
Is Chateau Zábřeh worth visiting?
At first glance, Ostrava seems to be an industrial city, and it actually is, but it also has many interesting places to discover. Beautiful tenement houses are adjacent to parks where coal was once mined. Chateau Zábřeh is a place that stands out among the surrounding buildings and deserves to be visited with its history, cuisine and beer!
If you are still wondering why you can come to Ostrava, there are many reasons, and one of the most interesting is Dolni Vitkovice – a former industrial area that is regaining its splendor.
