Kadov Granary

Welcome to Kadov. You're standing right in front of a building that at first glance can seem very calm, not complicated, but its walls carry mast for many centuries. Take a look at this three-storey structure that extends before your eyes. Feel its robustness and the special combination of the mansion and utility building. It is this form that teaches us today to read the story of how the needs of the people who lived here change and how the world around them changes. There is something in it from a noble mansion, but also from a practical, solid structure that was intended to serve generations.

To understand why this building looks like this, we have to go back deep into the past until the 14th century. Imagine where you're standing now, over 600 years ago. At that time, there was no such place as this stone house. Instead, there was a wooden fortress that was protected by a deep moat. It was a building primarily defended, functional and much more modest than it is today. Imagine the sound of the water in the trench and the smell of the wood that formed the foundation of this place. The first traces of the existence of this mansion go back to this very period. Already in 1362, Racek ze Žihobec is listed in historical records, which was the patron of the local church of St. Wenceslas. This tells us that even then this area was an important cultural and religious centre, which required a certain level of governance and care.

Now pay attention to the very structure of the object you are currently observing. You see a building in front of you that has its east and north wing. It is important to realize that what you see is the result of a very long and fascinating transformation. This building is not just one type of construction, it's a living document of history. In the Renaissance period, when the needs of the nobles changed from purely defensive to representative, the fort was fundamentally rebuilt by the Záborský brothers. At that time, one of the most important changes in its architecture took place here - the fortified mansion became a noble mansion and the administrative centre of the small estate. If you look at the north wing now, you can feel traces of an earlier era in its structure. Although the building has undergone many changes, it is in this wing that the Gothic elements are still hidden, which resemble the oldest stone foundations on which the building was gradually built.

Let us now move forward in time to a period that has fundamentally affected today's appearance of this monument. There was another big change in the eighteenth century. The fort was no longer needed as a representative seat and was therefore converted into a granary. This decision, which may have seemed purely practical at the time, fundamentally transformed the character of the building. It is thanks to this reconstruction that the object has today's very robust and closed appearance. The granary you perceive is proof of how noble places must adapt to new economic realities.

To better understand the weight of this place, we need to think about the people who left their mark. The history of this place is closely linked to powerful family lines. In 1527, Bušek Záborský z Brloha acquired Kadov and entered it into the ground boards, thereby strengthening the position of this place within the then state order. Later, at the time of the Renaissance blossom, the Albrecht a Ladislav Záborský brothers were operating here, who had just brought a new style into the building and turned it into the center of their estate. But history wasn't just about building and flourishing. In 1618 a state uprising broke out, which also affected the fate of the owners of this fortress. This was the time of uncertainty and great changes that could change the fate of this place at any time. Later, in 1670, the owner moved into the hands of Countess Catherine Khuen of Belasa, which signalled another chapter in the history of this estate.

Now, I want to invite you to think a little bit about one interesting thing that will help you better perceive the atmosphere of this place. Every family who ruled here carried its own identity, which it expressed in its character. For example, the royal family of the Řesanski of Kadova had a bicycle in his coat of arms. Imagine the wheel as a symbol of the constant movement, rotation of time and constant changes experienced by this object - from the wooden fortress to the Renaissance palace to the Baroque granary. This building is actually a symbol of this constant cycle. Nothing is immutable, everything changes, adapts and converts to survive.

Look at the walls and try to reconstruct the older forms that once stood here. Feel every part of the building as part of this long and rich story. Now, you're not expecting more recordings, but the whole history that's right in front of you. I suggest you continue your search and try to perceive the invisible link between the past and the present when you look at the individual parts of the building. I wish you a pleasant walk through the history of Kadova.