Bezdružice (chateau)
The picturesque location on the hill at the western side of the square in the village of Bezdružice is occupied by the Baroque chateau of the same name, which can be seen from a far.
Information for visitors
Interesting facts Bezdružice (chateau)
In the places where we find the chateau today, there used to be a smaller medieval castle from the end of the 13th century, which underwent a partial reconstruction in the Renaissance style during the 16th century. When pronouncing the name of the village Bezdružice, the figure of the important Czech humanist Kryštof Harant from Polžice and Bezdružice, whose life ended in the execution in the Old Town Square in 1621, may come to mind.
Probably during the 14th and 15th centuries, two wings of Gothic buildings were added to the courtyard, which have been preserved to this day. Bezdružice chateau is undoubtedly a shining example of numerous architectural alterations, and so almost all artistic styles, except Romanesque, have signed on the current form of the chateau.
The owners of the chateau also changed quite often. They were, for example, the Swambers or the Elpognár family. During the Renaissance, the castle was burned down by Swedish troops, and as early as 1711, historical sources mention the castle as desolate. In the same year, its reconstructions began, during which the old, Gothic-Renaissance building was demolished, and part of it was then used to build a new building, conceived in the Baroque style.
The chateau underwent the most fundamental reconstruction in the Baroque concept between 1772 and 1776, at a time when it was owned by Prince Karel Tomáš Löwenstein. It can be said that the current appearance of the castle comes from the period of this reconstruction. The Löwenstein family owned the Bezdružice chateau until the end of the Second World War. In 1952, the chateau became the property of ČKD Prague, and was adapted for recreational use.
At present, the Bezdružice chateau is open to the public and offers, for example, a knight's hall, a chateau chapel and other interiors. The chateau is also the seat of the museum of works by leading Czech glass artists, and the glass nativity scene, designed by the artist Jaromír Rybák, is absolutely unique. This motif is the largest glass sculpture in the world.
Author: Andrea Štyndlová