Bučovice Castle

Castle Bučovice is a Renaissance building built between 1575 and 1585 to order Jan Šembery from Boskovice, one of the richest Moravian nobles of his time. The builder of the castle was the North Italian master Pietro Gabri, who carried out the work using the plans of Jacob Strada. The building grew up as a palazzo in fortezza castle, a fortified palace, which in Central Europe was the privilege of the most important nobles. Today the castle is open to the public and belongs to national cultural monuments.

The most visible element of the Renaissance core of the castle is its spacious courtyard grafted from three sides by arcades with numerous columns. In total there are 96 thin columns and arcades with the heads of the Ionian, Roman and Corinthians order. The statues of these columns are decorated with emblems, stone posts of doors then bear the signs of the founder of the castle and his wives. The castle itself represents a modest appearance, its facade is not one of the richly decorated.

Since 1633, the castle has undergone baroque modifications to the management of Giovanni Giacomo Tencally, who worked for Maximilian from Liechtenstein - this nobleman won the castle and the estate by marrying Jan Šembera Kateřina's daughter. Tencalla created a mannerist fountain in the middle of the court between 1635 and 1637. The waterworks reach a height of 8,5 metres and represent a calichoid vase with a luppenously bent head that passes into four deep dragon heads leaning on the shoulders of squatting mermaids. The upper part is crowned by a statue of Dionysus. At the same baroque stage, four corner towers with metal lanterns were added, but they gradually had to sink for their weight.

Unlike outside moderation, the castle has several richly decorated representation halls in the west wing. The hall of five senses has on the vault of the map of the allegory of senses according to the drawings of Martena de Vos and in the lunets are the techniques of chiaroscura painted ancient scenes. The so-called bird room carries on the ceiling a painted net with Cupid and birds at its peak. The most extensive is the Imperial Room, which was very likely decorated by the court sculptor and stucco of Emperor Rudolf II. Hans Mont. His work includes a high stucco in four lunettes with the figures of emperor Karl V., mythical Europe, god Martha and Venus, in other lunettes he then placed the Roman Emperor. The rabbit room is decorated with frescoes with the most asity depicting rabbits in human situations, even warring with humans, in the middle of the ceiling is a feast of rabbit steam. Venus room decorated with frescoes of Venetian school tradition.

A geometrical garden of 17,5 hectares surrounded by walls is adjacent to the castle. The area was optionally divided with axes decorated with fountains and trimmings made of honeysers and habres. In the course of the 20th century, the garden transformed and was reconstructed in the 1960s according to plans by D. Menclová and B. Wagner. The garden is one of the important examples of the development of sadistic architecture in the Czech Republic.

Since 1681, the castle has been strategized by its prestigious functions and has become the administrative centre of the estate, since 1722 the headquarters of the central Liechtenstein accounting office. Since then, there have been no major structural changes. The castle was declared a national cultural monument in 2001. In the 10th years of the 21st century, the long years of the dysfunctional fountain was completely restored.