Podmokly (zámek, okres Rokycany) Chateau

Welcome to Underwater. You are standing right in front of a building that carries the cramped energy of centuries and testimonies of constant changes in human life and architecture. Before your eyes, there is a Baroque chateau whose presence here is peaceful and noble, but if you try to look deeper below the surface of these walls, you will find that the history of this place is much more complicated and dynamic than it may seem. Feel this atmosphere, feel the feeling that you are standing in a place where the needs of defense, farming and subsequently the desire for representation and beauty have been met.

To understand why this building looks just like this, we have to go back deep into the past until the 15th century. Before the baroque face that you are now observing began to form here, this place was a completely different function. There was a fort, the seat of the original masters of Podmokel. It was not space for comfort and aesthetics, but for survival and protection. This medieval fortress was a symbol of stability in troubled times until it was destroyed by the devastation of the Thirty Years' War. The war was a blow to this region that changed everything. The fortress was destroyed, and for years only the economic court remained there. Imagine this place at that time - a place that lost its nobility and became a simple workplace, the center of agricultural life, where it dominated benefits, not beauty.

The break occurred only in the early eighteenth century. In 1707, the history of this place turned again radically. Count Karel Jiří Michna z Vacínova came up with a vision that completely transformed the surrounding landscape. He chose an act that had to be seen as a huge step forward at the time: he had the existing economic court torn down and, in his place, he began to build a new Baroque chateau. By this decision, the Podmoklas have definitely gone from their simple, agricultural past and entered the era of aristocratic elegance. The Count Michna of Vacin expressed his power and social position with this act, laying the foundations for what you see today.

Now please pay attention to the architecture itself that surrounds you. Although the building has been faced with various modern interventions over the centuries that have affected its original appearance in some places, baroque dignity can still be blamed. If you look directly at the entrance facade now, you can see one of the most important architectural elements of this object. Note the vault that decorate the entrance. It has an alliance character of the builder, which is beautifully framed with acanthus ornament. Akant, this plant motivation, is a symbol of eternity and unwavering in Baroque architecture, and his presence here gives the entrance an unmistakable character. This detail is not just an ornament, it's a signature of history that tells us who was the architect of this new order.

And it is at the name of the architect that we come to one of the greatest attractions this place has to offer. Although it is not explicitly confirmed, in professional circles it is often said that plans for this chateau could be designed by Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel itself. If that were true, you are facing the work of one of the greatest geniuses of baroque architecture, a man whose name is associated with an incredible game of light, shadow and geometry. Although we cannot be absolutely sure, the presence of such a name in the vicinity or its possible influence on the proposal gives this place an extraordinary mystery. Consider it when you look at the rhythm of the facade and how the building operates throughout its space. There's something in there that makes us think about the state of the then builders' championship.

But other fascinating fates and personalities are connected to the history of the chateau. Next to Count Michna of Vacinova is the name of John Kristian Stolz. This man was of vital importance to this place because he set up a chapel at the chateau, which was an important spiritual centre for the surroundings. Imagine the era when religious care and building sacral spaces was a solid part of the aristocratic mansion. The chateau continued to walk through the hands of different families. In 1747 it belonged to the Fürstenberg family, which was extremely important in the company at the time. Later, in 1869, there was another fundamental change when the chateau was proánomen along with the brewery. This link between the aristocratic residence and economic activity, namely with the brewery, reminds us that this baroque world, too, has been closely linked to the economic reality of its time.

Today, this chateau is seen as something far more precious than a private residence. In 2010 it was declared a cultural monument, which is a recognition of its historical, artistic and social value. It is a confirmation that despite all the interference and changes that have happened over the years, this object has retained its essence and importance for our common history.

Looking at the lock, you can ask what these walls have experienced. They have experienced wars that have destroyed everything, and a period of prosperity, when culture and politics were formed here. They've seen the coming and going of powerful families. Every stone and every line on the facade tells its own story about the effort of man to create something lasting in a rapidly changing world.

I now urge you to go on another survey. Walk around the building, try to find more details that architecture reveals to you, and see how the Baroque face of the chateau changes depending on which angle you're looking at. Let yourself be drifted by the atmosphere of this place, which is a living bridge between the medieval fortress and the modern world. Thank you for spending this moment with us and for choosing to know the secret of the chateau in Podmoklech. We wish you a beautiful and inspiring walk.