Kozel (chateau)

The hunting lodge was built by Jan Vojtěch Černín in the years 1784 - 1789 as the highest rural seat of the nobility in the Classicist style. The French influence of the period of Louis XVI is reflected in the building, it is influenced by the ideas of the philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau. He promoted a return to nature and the construction of rural settlements. The castle is therefore a simple ground floor building with four wings around the inner rectangular courtyard. The complex also includes a chapel, riding school, butler and stables. It was used to accommodate owners and guests during regular hunting events. After the death of Jan Vojtěch Černín in 1816, the chateau and the Štáhlav estate were acquired by its great-nephew Count Kristian Vincenc Valdštejn - Vartenberk. Based on the decree, the castle was confiscated from the Wallensteins and has been owned by the state ever since.

The interiors of the chateau are decorated using the al secco technique, ie a painting on dry plaster created by Antonín Tuvora. Each room has its own ceramic classicist stove with plant motifs, in which it was heated from the courtyard so that the manor was not disturbed by servants. Many small bells hang on the ceiling of the entrance hall, which were used to call the servants. In order for the servants to know in which room it was requested, each bell had a different tuning. A toilet room with a Venetian-style mirror, made in the Czech Republic, was designed for ladies. The blue room belonged to the Countess, who was an art lover. She had various musical instruments here and you can see an extraordinary hammer piano from the workshop of Canrad Graf. The chateau also has its own theater, which was originally a barn for Jan Vojtěch Černín's most popular horses. In the first half of the 19th century, however, Wallenstein had it rebuilt into a theater.

Kozel Castle is surrounded by a 40-hectare park, reminiscent of Vienna's Schönbrunn. In summer, the rare tulip lily blooms here regularly.

Author: Marie Bukovinská