Litultovice Castle

The Litultovice castle is located in the city of Litultovice in the district of Opava, approximately twelve kilometres east of Opava. Today, the Litultovic Town Office is located here and there is a number of public services - pharmacy, restaurant, library and garage of the firehouse. The construction is included in the list of cultural monuments of the Czech Republic.

The first written mention of the fort that originally stood here dates back to 1446, when it was owned by Václav Košíř from Litultovic. The highest medieval way of protection - corner towers and trenches with a system of ponds - characterized its appearance. A significant turn in the form of construction occurred in the 16th century. In 1573 the castle was purchased by Otík Stoš z Kounic, and already in 1579 the extensive Renaissance reconstruction carried out by Jan Stoš z Kounice was completed. In the following period (1580-1614) it was owned by Bítovští z Bítova, who rebuilt it in such a way that two different objects were created - a new lock and an old lock, whose original fortress then served as an economic building.

The turn of the 17th century gave the castle a fundamental turn. After the Battle of White Mountain (1621), the property was confiscated and became part of the laziness of the Archbishop of Olomouc. Since 1647 it was owned by younger Orlíkové z Laziska until 1694, then it was taken over by the House of Tetzlerns from 1714. Under their administration, especially in the middle of the 18th century, the castle passed through the reconstruction into the Baroque style, won stucco decoration in the interiors and a castle chapel was established here. From 1792 until World War II, the castle belonged to the Rollsberg family. After the death of Baron Charles of Rollsberg in 1920 and the fall of his son Maximilian in the First World War, General Alfred Waldsttäten took over the administration of the estate, which he ran until 1945.

From an architectural point of view, the castle represents an interesting layer of history. The Renaissance reconstruction from 1580-1614 brought a three-wing building around the courtyard with a north and west one-story wing. The new part was a highlighting white-red color pack. According to the interior year, the modifications were completed in 1602 and supplemented by richly decorated Renaissance ceilings. The beginning of the 19th century added an empirical look with a central part with a shallow risalite and a balcony above the entrance. The arcades and original Renaissance ceilings were gradually covered during the 19th century.

In more recent history, the castle has undergone important renewal. In the 1960s the chapel was demolished, but in 1972- 1979 a large reconstruction was carried out, which returned to its original appearance. The restaurant works continued - in 1986 the first floor of the old castle was completed.

Part of the complex is a park founded in the beginning of the 19th century in landscape style. They grow alien trees, including an extremely old summer oak of 33 meters high with a strain of 470 centimeters, elan or maple-tree. The castle is located on the route I / 46 connecting Opava to Olomouc and is also available on the green tourist route and cycling route number 6221.