It was founded as a medieval fortress by Tobias of Benešov. In its more than 700-year history , many important aristocratic families have been in possession – the Šternberks, the Hodějovský, the Vrtba, the Lobkowicz families. The castle got its current appearance at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, when the castle was owned by Franz Ferdinand d ́Este, the heir to the Austrian throne, who rebuilt the Konopiště castle into a magnificent seat of the future emperor.
Konopiště preserves an extremely rich collection of arts and crafts from the Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Modern periods. The famous Esthenian armoury, which the Archduke had transferred to Konopiště from his Modena heritage, stands out, and which is one of the most interesting in Europe. Of the interiors, the best are the representative salons on the first floor, such as the Reception Salon and the Column Salon, both with extremely valuable Italian cabinets from the 17th century.
