Duchcov Chateau (; ) is a manor house in

Duchcov Duchcov (; ) is a town in Teplice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,700 inhabitants. Duchcov is known for the Duchcov Castle. The historic town centre with the castle complex is well preserved and is pro ...

in the

Ústí nad Labem Region Ústí nad Labem Region or Ústecký Region () is an Regions of the Czech Republic, administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the north-western part of the historical land of Bohemia, and named after the capital, Ústí nad Labem. I ...

of the

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

. It is protected as a national cultural monument. Today the chateau houses a museum with a collection of historic furniture. Also on display is the painting and portrait gallery of the

Waldstein family The House of Waldstein (Valdstejn, Valdonio, or Wallenstein) is an old, wealthy and important noble family from Central Europe (Germany and the Czech Republic). They owned many castles across Europe. Origin The House of Waldstein or House of V ...

, including portraits of the most famous member of this family,

Albrecht von Wallenstein Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland (; 24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein (), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Thirty Years' War (1618–16 ...

, Duke of Friedland, by

Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (; ; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy. The seventh child of ...

. One room is dedicated to

Giacomo Casanova Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (; ; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer who was born in the Republic of Venice and travelled extensively throughout Europe. He is chiefly remembered for his autobiography, written in French and pu ...

, who was employed here as a

librarian A librarian is a person who professionally works managing information. Librarians' common activities include providing access to information, conducting research, creating and managing information systems, creating, leading, and evaluating educat ...

from 1785 until his death in 1798, and wrote his memoirs, ''

Histoire de ma vie ''Histoire de ma vie'' (''The Story of My Life'') is both the memoir and autobiography of Giacomo Casanova, a famous 18th-century Italian adventurer. A previous, expurgation, bowdlerized version was originally known in English as ''The Memoi ...

'', here.

History

The chateau was initially built as a fort in the 13th century by the Hrabišic family, which resided at the Osek Castle. Not earlier than 1527, the

Lobkowicz family The House of Lobkowicz (''Lobkovicové'' in modern Czech, sg. ''z Lobkovic''; ''Lobkowitz'' in German) is an important Bohemian noble family that dates back to the 14th century and is one of the oldest noble families of the region. Over the cent ...

replaced the fort with a one-wing

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

palace. Marie Polyxena of Thalmberg, the widow of František Josef of Lobkowicz, married secondly Maximillian of Waldstein in 1642. Their son Jan Bedřich of Waldstein, later the

Archbishop of Prague The following is a list of bishops and archbishops of Prague. The bishopric of Prague was established in 973, and elevated to an archbishopric on 30 April 1344. The current Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Prague is the continual successor of the bi ...

, was apprised with the French architect and painter

Jean Baptiste Mathey Jean Baptiste Mathey (c. 1630 – c. 1695) was a French architect and painter born in Dijon. Between 1675 and 1694, Mathey worked in Prague. He enjoyed a remarkable career in which his French planning and devotion to classical rationality (as opp ...

, and he brought him to Duchcov for the purpose of rebuilding the residence. The castle was incorporated in the Waldstein's family '' fideicommis'' and passed on through inheritance to Ernst Joseph Count Waldstein and to his descendants until it was nationalised in 1945. Mathey designed a huge Baroque complex, including a large park and a hospital. The decoration of the building was provided by the best Baroque artists in

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

, like the sculptors

Matthias Braun Matthias Bernard Braun (Czech: ''Matyáš Bernard Braun'', 24 February 1684 in Sautens near Innsbruck – 15 February 1738 in Prague) was a sculptor and carver active in the Kingdom of Bohemia, one of the most prominent late baroque style scu ...

Ferdinand Brokoff Ferdinand Maxmilian Brokoff (; 12 September 1688 – 8 March 1731) was a Czech sculptor and carver of the Baroque era. Life and career Brokoff was born in Červený Hrádek in the Kingdom of Bohemia (today part of Jirkov in the Czech Republic), ...

, and painter

Wenzel Lorenz Reiner Wenzel Lorenz Reiner (; 8 August 1686 or 1689 – 9 October 1743) was a Baroque painter who lived and died in Prague, Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic s ...

. Between 1785 and 1798,

, the so-called secretary of the 18th century, spent the last thirteen years of his life in Duchcov. In the 19th century, the castle was rebuilt in the Neoclassical style and the garden in the romantic style. The Waldstein family left the place in 1921. At present, the chateau is state-owned and open to visitors. The garden grounds serve as a public park. Since 2002, the castle has been protected as a national cultural monument.

References

External links

* {{authority control Teplice District Castles in the Czech Republic Castles in the Ústí nad Labem Region National cultural monuments of the Czech Republic Museums in the Ústí nad Labem Region

History

See also

References

External links