Litomyšl Castle is one of the largest

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

castles in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. It is owned by the Czech state. It is located in the centre the town of

Litomyšl Litomyšl (; german: Leitomischl) is a town in Svitavy District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,900 inhabitants. It is former bishopric and Latin Catholic titular see. Litomyšl is known for the château-type castle ...

and was declared a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site in 1999. Litomyšl Castle is an outstanding example of the arcade castle, a type of building first developed in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and modified in the Czech lands to create an evolved form of special architectural quality. High-Baroque features were added to this castle in the 18th century.

History

The town of Litomyšl developed in the 13th century on the trading route between Bohemia and

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The m ...

. In 1568, work started on the construction of the castle, overseen by Jan Baptista Avostalis and his brother Oldřich. By 1580, most of the building had been constructed. The castle served as the domain of the prestigious Pernštejn family from 1567 until the death of the house's last member, Frebonie, in 1646. The famous Czech composer

Bedřich Smetana Bedřich Smetana ( , ; 2 March 1824 – 12 May 1884) was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style that became closely identified with his people's aspirations to a cultural and political "revival." He has been regarded i ...

was born in 1824 at the Brewery, an ancillary building next to the castle. In the late 18th century, the castle interior and grounds were redesigned in a Late Baroque style and are still preserved today.

Description

The castle itself has three floors and has four wings arranged asymmetrically. The largest is the west wing, while the smallest is the south wing, a two-story arcaded gallery, closing off a square courtyard. The arcading and

groin vault A groin vault or groined vault (also sometimes known as a double barrel vault or cross vault) is produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults. Honour, H. and J. Fleming, (2009) ''A World History of Art''. 7th edn. London: Lau ...

ing continues around this courtyard. The eastern wing contains the castle chapel, and the western wing contains a theatre, with the stage decorations, machinery, and auditorium preserved intact. In addition to the castle, there are several ancillary buildings, including the Brewery, which lies to the south of the larger, outside courtyard and was originally designed with

sgraffito ''Sgraffito'' (; plural: ''sgraffiti'') is a technique either of wall decor, produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colours to a moistened surface, or in pottery, by applying to an unfired ceramic body two successive laye ...

decorations to complement the castle. After a fire in 1726, it was remodeled by the famous Baroque architect

František Maxmilián Kaňka František Maxmilián Kaňka (9 August 1674 in Prague – 14 July 1766 in Prague) was a Czech architect and builder. He was known for modifying castles, palaces and churches. In 1724 he was appointed emperor's architect. Work He is most famous f ...

. There is also an English-style park and a Baroque pavilion on the castle grounds.

References

{{Authority control World Heritage Sites in the Czech Republic Buildings and structures in Litomyšl Castles in the Czech Republic Castles in the Pardubice Region Palace theatres