Dalovice Chateau

The Dalovice Chateau is unique by connecting two buildings in one place with different building history. The new Renaissance mansion, now called the old chateau, was probably created after the demise of the Dalovice fortress in 1503 after the siege of the Swede. It was built outside the area of the sailing yard on the northern edge of the village Dalovice and during centuries it was undergoing gradual reconstruction according to changing owners of the estate.

The definitive change came in 1899, when the old chateau burned down. Baron Friedrich Riedl von Riedelstein had it rebuilt in a neo-Baroque style, using only the surrounding walls from the original building. Until then, the building served as a hostel for employees of the local porcelain factory. Under Eduardo Riedl von Riedelstein, a rich library with a collection of German, English and French literature was founded here, focusing mainly on geography and travel papers. After World War II, the property was confiscated from the Riedles family and part of the collection was taken by the Red Army. Since 1958, the Czechoslovak State has established an apprenticeship centre here, and later the Central Agricultural Technical School Dalovice was located in the building. After 1990, it was used by the University of Logistics.

Architecturally, the old chateau is designed as a storey brick building on a square floor plan with a mansard roof and skylights. The facade is decorated with two-axis two-story risties with volute shields, corner sections are divided by pilasters with profiled heads. The north facade contains a balcony with a decorative baroque railing and rectangular windows in profiled shambles with a semi-circular wedge on the floor.

The new chateau was built by the same Baron Friedrich Riedl von Riedelstein between 1847 and 1875 according to the design of architect Josef Benischk. A single-storey brick structure on a low plinth has a valb roof covered with eternity. The main facade open to the park features eight window axes and three-axis central risalite with three-sided Empire shield, supplemented by corner cylindrical towers with cupola roofs. There is a two-arm staircase with a terrace in front of the front door. The rear facade has a more complex architectural solution with stylized towers and a diverse structure of window openings. The facade is divided throughout the perimeter by cordon ledge and Tuscan pilasters. From 2008 to 2012 the New Chateau underwent a comprehensive reconstruction and modernization.

Both locks served public purposes in the 20th century. After World War II, a secondary agricultural technical school and vocational training centre were established. After the privatization of the 1990s, they remain in private hands, where the secondary vocational school currently houses logistics. The complex as a whole with its park and monument represents an excellent example of the continuity of building and cultural development in one place.