Ploskovice (german: Ploschkowitz) is a municipality and village in Litoměřice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of 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. Th ...

. It has about 500 inhabitants.

Administrative parts

Villages of Maškovice, Starý Mlýnec, Těchobuzice and Vinné are administrative parts of Ploskovice.

Geography

Ploskovice is located about northeast of

Litoměřice Litoměřice (; german: Leitmeritz) is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation. The town is the sea ...

and southeast of Ústí nad Labem. it lies mostly in the Ralsko Uplands, but the northern part extends into the Central Bohemian Uplands, and the almost whole municipality lies in the eponymous protected landscape area. The highest point of the municipal territory is a contour line on the slopes of the Trojhora hill, at above sea level.

History

The first written mention of Ploskovice is in a foundation deed of the Litoměřice Chapter from 1057. In 1188, the village was owned by the nobleman Hroznata of Ovenec, who donated it to the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

. They had here a commandery until the

Hussite Wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, European monarchs loyal to the ...

. In 1436, King Sigismund handed over Ploskovice to Jakoubek of Vřesovice. He and his descendants fortified the formed commandery and made it an aristocratic residence. After the uprising of the serfs in 1496, the village fell into the hands of the knight Dalibor of Kozojedy, but he was executed soon after. Dalibor's fate inspired

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 ...

to write the opera '' Dalibor''. In the 16th century, Ploskovice often changed owners. In 1545–1575, the original manor house was rebuilt into a castle. During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...

, Ploskovice was burned several times. In 1663, Ploskovice was acquired by Dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg. After the death of Duke Julius Francis, Ploskovice was ruled by Duchess Anna Maria Franziska. She had demolish the old castle and had built a new one in 1720–1725. The next owner of Ploskovice was Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria. His properties in Bohemia were handed over to

Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...

in 1813, who had expanded the castle. In 1835, Ploskovice became the property of

Ferdinand I of Austria en, Ferdinand Charles Leopold Joseph Francis Marcelin , image = Kaiser Ferdinand I.jpg , caption = Portrait by Eduard Edlinger (1843) , succession = Emperor of Austria King of Hungary , moretext = ( more...) , cor-type ...

. Ploskovice developed after 1848, when the castle became Ferdinand's summer residence.

Sights

Ploskovice Castle is the most important landmark. The Baroque castle was rebuilt to its current appearance in 1850–1853. The interior was decorated by the painter

Josef Matěj Navrátil Josef Matěj Navrátil (17 February 1798 – 21 April 1865) was a Czech painter. Early life Born in Slaný, Navrátil was trained by his father as a decorator, and after further study at the Academy of Fine Arts, Prague became a painter-decorator ...

in the

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

Revival style. The castle has been a tourist destination since 1945 and offers sightseeing tours. Next to the castle is a castle park with a pond, fountains, and rare plants.

References

External links

* {{authority control Villages in Litoměřice District Ferdinand I of Austria