Moravská Třebová was founded in the middle of the 13th century. The first written mention refers to the local bailiff (official) and is contained in a document from 1270.

The founder of the future town, Boreš of Rýzmburk, was one of the important members of the Czech king Wenceslas I. After clearing the forest and measuring the town, the incoming settlers began to build simple houses, probably made of wood. Medieval houses and the walls of that time have not been preserved, but we can get an idea of the town from its ground plan. The square square with perpendicular streets is a typical work of the 13th century.

The only irregularity in the checkerboard plan of the town can be found in its south-eastern corner. Here, probably from the very foundation of the town, there was a castle of an aristocratic administrator. It was built into the perimeter walls and was separated from the town by a deep moat. We can only guess what its medieval appearance and fortifications looked like. In any case, it occupied a strategically advantageous place on a slight hill above the Třebůvka River, around which a trade route led. The valley narrowed here and it was necessary to bypass and bypass the steep slope of the opposite hill.

Fragments of pottery found during archaeological research prove that this place was inhabited by people in prehistoric times. They settled here in the Late Bronze Age and surrounded their settlement with a moat.

One of the most important figures in the history of the castle and the town was Ladislav Černohorský of Boskovice (about 1455-1520), who came from one of the most important aristocratic families. As he was originally destined for a career in the church, he travelled a large part of Italy in his youth for education. He studied in Ferrara, Bologna, Padua, Pavia and Vienna. Here he probably became acquainted with the ideas of humanism and the Renaissance. He was also close to the court of the Hungarian king and then ruler of Moravia, Matthias Corvinus, in today’s Budapest, where a number of Italian artists stayed in his service. From there, Ladislav later invited craftsmen to Moravská Třebová.

After the death of his brother Jaroslav, he had to give up his ecclesiastical career and take over the Boskovice heritage, he was also one of the advisors of the Czech king Vladislav Jagiellon. He made Moravská Třebová, bought in 1485, his seat and began its reconstruction. In his residence, the tradition of the medieval town castle was intertwined with new Renaissance elements. The eastern wing with the space of the so-called Knight’s Hall, vaulted with a cross vault, and late Gothic cellars have been preserved to this day. The Knight’s Hall, vaulted with a cross vault, and late Gothic cellars.

Early Renaissance elements are mainly represented by a portal and two portrait medallions. The portal, today set in the southern gate in the courtyard, originally formed the main entrance to the “old castle”. It is dated 1492, which makes it the oldest preserved Renaissance monument in the Czech Republic. In addition to the unmistakable Renaissance elements, the remains of old stonemasonry techniques can also be observed in detail, thus forming (together with the portal of the Tovačov Castle and the window jambs of the Vladislav Hall at Prague Castle) a transition between Gothic and Renaissance. The round medallions of Ladislav and his wife Magdalena of Dubá and Lipá from 1495 are already an example of the great work of the Italian sculptor demonstrating the purity of the Renaissance style. Copies are also set in the southern gate in the courtyard, the marble originals are part of the Treasures of Moravská Třebová exhibition.

The chateau itself retained its traditional four-winged layout with a central courtyard and a massive tower, and the chateau also included a black kitchen, protruding in the castle moat. To this day, it has been partially preserved as an underground space in the middle of the courtyard. Since 2010, this space has also been made accessible, and the Colourful Planet exhibition is installed here. At the time of the Lords of Boskovice, the chateau complex was still separated from the town by a moat and access was provided by a stone bridge, the remains of which were discovered during archaeological research in the 90s.

All the owners of the family participated in the expansion of the castle, but their interventions were not so extensive. It was mainly Wenceslas of Boskovice, whose name is carved above the portal of the house in Bránská Street, which was connected to the castle. Wenceslas shortened his way to the church here. And also Jan Třebovský, who had a mill built outside the walls of the castle, in its vicinity a gate with a carved inscription and the coats of arms of the lords of Boskovice and the lords of Dubá and Lipá have been preserved. Jan also invited artists from distant lands to his residence, such as the painter Pietro di Petri, whose portrait of Jan on his deathbed can also be seen by visitors to the castle. Di Petri then also worked in the service of the Žerotín family until his death in 1611.

Ladislav Velen basically completed the development of the castle. Coincidentally, he inherited extensive estates in southern and northern Moravia from his father and uncle (Jan of Boskovice) and thus became the second richest nobleman in the country at the age of ten. In his youth, he studied in Germany (Heidelberg), Switzerland (Geneva) and later also in Italy. The reputation of a Renaissance man was confirmed by his active knowledge of four languages (Czech, German, Latin and Italian). The customs of the nobility at that time included making their nobility and position duly known, Ladislav was no exception. That is why the old Boskovice Castle soon began to be small for him and he had three wings of new buildings built on the site of the former moat in the spirit of contemporary Roman architecture. A substantial part of this building is still standing today and is one of the most magnificent buildings of its time in Central Europe.

According to some researchers, the designer of the whole work could have been Giovanni Maria Filippi, who worked in the imperial service at Prague Castle (Matthias Gate). All the work was led by another Italian – Giovanni Motalla of Bonamonte, who settled in Třebová for many years and worked here on various commissions for the city council. The construction probably took place between 1611 and 1616, but Ladislav Velen probably did not live to see the final completion and the work was completed only by Charles of Liechtenstein. Ladislav Velen concentrated a number of scholars, artists, stonemasons and alchemists (e.g. M. E. Bonacino) on his estate in Moravská Třebová, supported the publishing activities of the Unity of the Brethren, financed a number of cultural activities and also knew J. A. Comenius, who dedicated his famous map of Moravia to him. All this contributed to the fact that Moravská Třebová was called the Moravian Athens.

However, the period of prosperity ended with the Battle of White Mountain, Ladislav Velen, as the leader of the Moravian estates, had to emigrate to Silesia and all his property was confiscated and fell into the ownership of his former friend Charles of Liechtenstein.

Almost all of Žerotín’s property was acquired after the Battle of White Mountain by Charles of Liechtenstein, a former friend and even godfather of Ladislav Velen’s children, who was able to skilfully take advantage of the dramatic situation of the twenties of the 17th century and became one of the richest lords and most influential politicians in the country. Although he still had the chateau completed under the supervision of G. Motalla, only officials and the administration of the manor resided there. The Liechtensteins only came here and there to hunt in the surrounding forests or to discuss economic matters. The chateau remained in the possession of the families until 1945. They avoided any reconstruction of the chateau until the 19th century. At that time, at the end of April 1840, a devastating fire engulfed the chateau and a large part of the town. Fortunately, the then owner, Alois II of Liechtenstein, did not succumb to the temptation to tear down the whole complex and build a modern aristocratic residence, but had the “new” Žerotín chateau repaired according to the original plans. It was different with the “old” chateau, which was demolished from three quarters (only the eastern wing remained – the knight’s hall and the late Gothic cellars retained their original appearance) and together with the south-west wing of the chateau got an Empire appearance. The chateau thus got its present appearance on the ground plan of the letter U, with a large courtyard open to the south. This closed the construction development of the chateau, later only reconstructions took place, for example at the beginning of the 20th century. During the reign of the Liechtensteins, extensive farm buildings of the chateau brewery were built north of the chateau (Castle Street and Chateau Square), which are currently in private hands and the vast majority of the area is not used in any way

After 1945, the chateau was first more or less plundered, and later it was handed over to the Forest Administration of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic for use. This began an almost forty-year era of devastation and decay. With the change in social conditions after 1989, the chateau became the property of the city and its gradual renovation began.