zámek Vidim Chateau

The Vidim castle is located in the upper part of the village Vidim in the district of Mělník, in direct proximity to the church of St. Martin. It is a Baroque building which is now registered as a cultural monument and serves as a social facility for seniors. The area includes a garden with a park, a farm yard and other land.

The history of the castle is linked to the development of the Viim estate. The oldest mansion in Vidimi was a fortress that stood either directly in the village itself or in the places of the extinct castle called the Old Castle near Vidimi. The transition from the medieval fortress building to the Baroque castle dates back to about the time the manor was acquired by the general officer Johann Böck in 1635. It was this important official who could have the old fort converted into a castle, but the time of origin remains unclear.

Böck's family remained the owner of the estate until 1700 when his grandson Eugenius Albert Böck died. After his death, the estate split into his daughters. First it belonged to Countess Anně Magdaleně Schütz-Leopoldsheimové, and in 1709 it was taken over by Countess Caroline Anna Bubnová of Litice, who owned it until 1743. In this year's estate was purchased by Count František Karel Rudolf Swéerts-Sporck. There is a presumption that the owners have continuously expanded the building; But it is also possible that the late Baroque castle in this form was created by the Sweets-Sportks.

Since 1807 the castle belonged to the Prince of Arenberg. In 1896 it was acquired by Theodor Grohmann, under whose administration its last major reconstruction took place. In 1898, the west wing was added to the castle and the whole building was modified in a pseudohoric style. The Grohmann family remained the owner of the castle until the end of World War II.

After the war, its purpose changed many times: served as a political school, later as a children's recovery facility. Since 1952 he has transformed into a home for seniors. For many years the following visits were lost in the construction and surroundings. Only until 2014, the house, the economic buildings and the park remained in critical condition. The following reconstruction focused on restoration of facades and interior and preservation of a significant part of the park trees. The fixed castle is now a home for seniors under the administration of the Regional Office of the Central Bohemia Region.

The construction has a plan of the shape of an extended letter H, is two storey and surrounded by a massive perimeter wall. The castle area includes a farm yard, a large garden with a park, an administrative building and a watercourse. The architecture thus combines elements of the Baroque style with later modifications from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.