The restoration of Nemilkov Castle changed the lives of its new owners

What motivates people who decide to devote all their time and money to saving historic buildings? This is one of the topics covered in our summer series Second Wind, or New Life for Historic Buildings. As part of the series, we visited the castle in Nemilkov in the Klatovy region.

When traveling through the Czech countryside, we often see castles and fortresses in villages. Some are still in poor condition, but others are finally receiving the care they deserve after decades of neglect. This is often thanks to new owners, enthusiasts who sacrifice their time and money to save them. It is to them and their monuments that we dedicate our summer series Second Wind, or New Life for Monuments. This time, we filmed a report at Nemilkov Castle in the Klatovy region.

The Renaissance Nemilkov Castle with Baroque modifications, located in the Klatovy region, experienced its greatest boom during the time of the progressive Schreiner family, who acquired it at the end of the 18th century. They built a brewery, a distillery, a hammer mill with a sawmill, and a hydroelectric power plant. However, in 1945, the family was expelled. The castle then became part of a unified agricultural cooperative and gradually fell into disrepair.

It was love at first sight.

Better times came in 2016, when it charmed its new owners, Mr. and Mrs. Kaplan. "It was my husband's idea. He loves history and everything old, and it was his dream to buy an old monument and restore it," says Markéta Kaplanová, a former swimmer, national swimming team coach, and now the lady of the castle.

"I resisted for a long time. But when my husband brought me here, it was love at first sight," she added. When the couple took over the castle, it was devastated, with holes in the roofs and some of the windows missing. However, it retained its beautiful character. The Kaplans made a life-changing decision. They left Prague, where they left their entire family, sold all their possessions, and invested their life savings in the castle.

Over the course of eight years, the Kaplans managed to restore most of the castle, which is now open to the public. Visitors can see practically the entire building during their tour. Most of the rooms are now furnished.

"The inventory is based on my husband's junk collections, but many items were also donated by friends and visitors. And neighbors from the village are gradually returning what their ancestors once took from here," says Markéta Kaplanová with a smile.

The future pride and joy of the castle is its Baroque ballroom, which is currently undergoing renovation, mainly thanks to the help of friends and contributors. The work should be completed by winter, so hopefully the ballroom will be ready to show itself off to the public in all its glory next season.

Nemilkov Castle is open every day. In addition to guided tours, it offers refreshments, accommodation, and space for various events.

Authors: Jitka Englová, Alice Baumruková Kotylová – Czech Radio Plzeň, published

Original text of the article with audio version - The restoration of Nemilkov Castle changed the lives of its new owners