Over the course of centuries the castle has undergone changes in both appearance and function. Until roughly the middle of the 16th century the castle served exclusively as a defensive structure. In the middle of the 16th century the castle burned and following renovations at the beginning of the 17th century it became mainly a residential structure. However, during the 18th century only the buildings below the castle were used and the castle itself was quickly falling into decay.
At the end of the 19th century the Order Grandmaster, Archduke Eugene Habsburg (1863-1954) decided to renovate the castle with the intention of making it the representational headquarters and museum of the Order. He paid for the construction himself and it is said that expenses reached 20 million guilders.
Castle reconstruction was conducted in the years 1895-1910. Several parts, for example the ruins of the north wing and the palace on the south side (known as the Oppersdorf wing) were taken down and built anew, while other parts that were in better condition such as the Elizabeth wing were reconstructed. The reconstruction was conducted on the basis of plans by noted Munich architect George von Hauberisser (1841-1922), who, among others, designed the new town hall in Munich and Munich's Church of St. Paul. Today’s appearance of Bouzov Castle dates to this reconstruction work, which also served to modernize the castle with internal plumbing and central heating. The renovations at the turn of the 20th century also included the installation of both historical and contemporary furnishings in the castle interiors.