Český Šternberk Castle was founded in 1241 by Zdeslav of Divišov and named after the family coat of arms: a golden eight-pointed star. According to the custom of the time, the name was Germanized. This is where the new epithet of the Sternberg family comes from. The present appearance of the castle was most evident in the late Gothic modifications improving the defense system. The interior was last modified in the Baroque style for the purpose of comfortable living.
The coat of arms of the Sternberg family is a golden eight-pointed star in a blue field. Its oldest depiction is preserved in the state archives in Vienna on the seal of Jaroslav of Sternberg from 1284. The origin of the Sternberg star is shrouded in legends, the most famous of which was written down in his work by Bartoloměj Paprocký of Hloholy. It refers to the Star of Bethlehem, which led the Three Kings to the born Christ.
The tour route leads through fifteen rooms richly furnished with furniture of various styles, family portraits, porcelain and other historical objects. A unique set of copperplate engravings from the period of the Thirty Years’ War is unique.
