zámek Krásný Les Chateau

The chateau Krásný Les, in German Schloss Schönwald, is located in the local part of Petrovic in the Ústí Region. It is a simple one-storey L-shaped building, which was created in 1708 according to the will of František Ignác Vratislav of Mitrovice, who had it built. The construction represents a simple cutting example of the late Baroque architecture of the village estate, without pretentions for glitter or pomp.

The Mitrovica family held the chateau until 1791. After that, the property changed: since 1802 it was the owner of Josef z Hackelbergu-Landau. In 1892 it was acquired by Friedrich, the Earl of Westphalia. Subsequently, it was owned by the textile trader Antonín Balle ze Cvikova, which was its last private owner. 1931 brought a major change - the chateau bought the city of Ústí nad Labem.

The building has maintained its baroque character over the centuries. The facade is smooth and undivided, decorated with a Baroque portal and three coat of arms. There's a German quote on the shield from the Book of Psalms. On the longest side wall is placed an alliance sign František Ignác Vratislav from Mitrovice along with the coat of arms of his wife Victoria and German text dedicated to construction. The roof is steep, the windows are rectangular. The chateau was rebuilt in 1745.

World War II meant a break in his destiny. The Gestapo set up a work camp in it - first French prisoners of war were imprisoned in the chateau between 1940 and 1941. From November 1941 to March 1945, the chateau served as a camp for older workable Jewish residents from Ústeck. Marked as Sammelager Schönwald, 103 people went through it. The scheme was allegedly more relaxed than in other camps - the interns could move freely around the village and shop in local shops. But their fate is largely unknown. 55 interns died while running the camp, the rest were deported to the family camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp.

After the war the chateau became an economic building of the state farm and gradually fell apart. Maintenance was neglected in the long term, especially after 1990, so the building was decayed, looted and desolate. In 2018 it was purchased by Jan Kilián in order to repair the building and set up an exhibition dedicated to the history of the chateau and the important native of the Beautiful Forest.

Today, the chateau is still a decrepit building that shows the beauty of the past, but also the traumas that have taken place here. The visit can be an opportunity to reflect on the complicated Czech history of the 20th century and on efforts to save cultural heritage.