Zahrádka (zámek) Chateau

Welcome to Petrovice, a place where history meets silence and oblivion. You stand before what once was a proud residence, today a sad reminder of the past we know as Zahrádek. Now, if you look around you, you may experience some contrast between the calm of the surrounding landscape and the emptiness of this particular place. In front of you, there are no strong towers or decorated gates, but the remains of a building that has been the center of local life and power for centuries. Feel the atmosphere of this place and try to imagine that the walls that are missing today have stood here and told stories about generations of people who lived here, worked and dreamed.

To understand what we have lost in this place, we must return very far in our minds to the past until this landscape was completely different. The first written mention of this place dates back to 1365. At that time there was no representative chateau, but a Renaissance fortress. The fortress was at that time an essential element of defense and management of the countryside, serving as a safe port and symbol of the power of the local nobleman. In these early times, there were brothers who, at this strategic point at Petrovic, established the foundations of the future residence. So imagine a place where you see a ruin today, like a fortified space with high walls to protect its people from the enemy while controlling the surrounding property.

The history of Zahrádky is like a book whose pages were printed by different families and personalities. In 1497 the owner changed when Jan of Orlov and Jan Hruška of Strkov bought the farm. It was a period of great changes in architecture and society, when the medieval world slowly began to turn into a modern world. A little later, in 1538, Zahrádek got into the hands of Adam Zahradecký from Zahrádka, who probably got his whole place today's name. In these times, the fortress was still dominated by the village, a place where the fate of the surrounding fields and the people were decided.

Let us now move forward in time, to the second half of the eighteenth century, when the most important transformation of this place took place. It is at this time that the fort has turned into what many of us now imagine as a chateau. Jan Erazim Cukr z Tamfeldu decided that the old fortified fortress no longer meets the requirements of the time. He wanted a representative residence that would radiate elegance, wealth and taste of the baroque era. So he converted the building into a one-story lock.

Now, if you look at the space in front of you, try to reconstruct the shape of it from that time. The chateau had two wings that encapsulated space and created a harmonious whole. The most significant element was the Mansard roof, which at that time was a symbol of modern architecture and gave the building a noble look. Imagine the tall windows that had the light in the spacious halls and the one-story layout that allowed easy movement between the rooms. Everything was designed to impress guests and give the owner maximum comfort.

Other personalities like Vojslav ze Zahrádky or Diviš ze Zahrádky are associated with this place, who have left their mark in the history of the farm at different times. Each of them added a chapter to the history of Zahrada, whether it was an economic boom, a family feud or a local community building. The chateau was not just a home, it was the center of administration, culture and social intercourse in the district of Příbram.

But now comes the sadder part of the story, which explains why you are not standing in front of a beautiful Baroque building today, but in front of its remains. Time and human inattention are sometimes more cruel than any enemy. In modern times, the chateau lost its original position of noble residence. The building was used for the needs of the state farm, which meant that it was still in operation, but its aesthetic and historical value was completely neglected. The chateau stopped being a home and became only a practical space for agricultural needs.

Gradually, neglect began to occur. The roof, which once so proudly decorated the sky, began to shed water, the plaster fell off, and the masonry, which lasted centuries, began to subdue moisture and not care. The chateau gradually faded until the representative mansion became a shadow of itself. The highlight of this tragedy was 2007. It was this year that the whole building collapsed. What was left of the baroque dream of Jan Erazim Cukra of Tamfeld was finally subject to the laws of gravity and decay.

There's a deep paradox and a mystery. How could a building that survived for hundreds of years, from a Renaissance fortress to a Baroque chateau to a modern farmhouse, collapse so suddenly at one time? Maybe it's a warning story about what happens if we forget our history and stop caring for the sights that tell us who we were. The garden is no longer a building that can be admired for its details, but it is a monument in a different sense. It is a monument to the permeability of everything material.

Notice now the silence surrounding this place. It's a silence that makes us think. You're standing in a place where there was once a laugh of the guests at the baroque balls, where future generations were planned in the Renaissance chambers, and later the voices of the workers of the state farm. All these layers of time are now compressed into one space that no longer has walls.

Now, if you continue to explore the area, I suggest you slowly go around this place. Feel where one wing probably ended and the other started. Try to imagine what the Mansard roof looked like when the first morning rays of the sun hit it. Even if you see only a ruin, the history of Zahrádka still lives in archives, maps and the memory of local residents.

Thank you for joining me on this short journey in time. I hope this view of Zahrádek helped you see more than just a pile of rocks and rubble. It's a place that teaches us humility before time and reminds us that every building has a soul that we need to protect as long as possible. Now invited to further explore the area of Petrovic and discover other hidden corners of this beautiful landscape. Goodbye and wish you a pleasant rest of the day.