Since Princess Ludmila, who was born in Mělník, the Castle has become the residence of the queen widows of Bohemia. Under Emperor Charles IV., Mělník became a royal city. Charles’ last wife had the chapel of the Castle with gothic vaults built. The last Queen who resided in Mělník, was the wife of Jiří z Poděbrad. In the following centuries the Estate of Mělník has been pledged to different noble families. In 1542 the Castle has been reconstructed in Renaissance Style and the two arcades richly decorated with sgrafitto patterning have been added. During the Thirty Years War, the Castle was abandoned. In the year 1646 Count Černín started a major reconstruction and had the Early Baroque southern wing added. The Count purchased the Mělník Estate form the Emperor. The heiress of the Černín family, Countess Ludmila Černín, married in 1753 Prince August Anton Lobkowicz. With the exception of the Second World War and the 40 years of communist rule, Mělník Castle remained in the family. The present owner Jiří Lobkowicz is renovating the Castle since 1992.