Замки Чехії: Замок Вельтруси Zamek Veltrusy Castles of the Czech Republic: Veltrusy Castle Zamek Veltrusy

I came across a photo of the castle by chance when I was looking for things to see in the vicinity of Prague. This is not my first trip to the castles of the Czech Republic. For those interested, here is https://www.turpravda.ua/cz/blog-325037.html

It is a bit difficult to get to the castle by public transport, so I can recommend a visit to those who travel by car.

            And if you are tired of the noise of the city, 25 kilometers to the north, surrounded by a large park, stands Veltrusy Castle, as if frozen in time.

The luxurious palace in the Baroque style was started by Vá clav Antoní n Hotek (1674-1754), the founder and first owner of the castle. It was he who brought the not very important knightly family of Hotek to the status of counts and acquired a considerable fortune. Both thanks to hard work in the service of the monarchs and thanks to a profitable marriage. In 1704, the count laid the first stone in the construction of a small hunting lodge. At that time, the house had a central tower, which was surrounded by four wings in the shape of a cross. The house stood in the middle of an incredible garden, which was washed by the Vltava on all sides. At this place, the river divided into two branches and formed an island. Now we can only imagine how tender and magical it all looked.

             Time passed, fashion changed, and the owner's son began to rebuild the palace in accordance with the new fashion trends of the late Baroque. Taking the original plan of the palace as a basis, Rudolf Hotek (1706-1771) expanded and lengthened the wings of the castle, preserving the interior decoration and works of art. Rudolf Hotek worked in the service of Empress Maria Theresa, and the pinnacle of his career was the position of Supreme Chancellor of the Czech and Austrian lands (if compared to modern positions - the position of Prime Minister). For his dedicated service, he was awarded the most prestigious Habsburg order - the Order of the Golden Fleece. Empress Maria Theresa visited Veltrusy.

             The next owner, Jan Rudolf Hotek (1748-1824), rebuilt the castle in the neoclassical style. The garden also changed its appearance. Frequent floods prompted a change in the park's concept.

            The Hotek family owned the castle until its nationalization in 1945. During World War II, the owners supported Hitler and after the war they moved to Germany. Where the last heir of the Hotek family died.

The first room you enter when entering the castle is the Sala Terrena, which translates from Italian as “ground floor hall” or “garden hall”. This is a characteristic element of Baroque palaces, which combined the building with a garden. The Baroque concept of Veltrusa was conceived as a country house for relaxation and hunting. Which was reflected in the Sala Terrena. It is open on both sides and was intended for shelter in the summer heat, or during the rain, for summer celebrations or performances. The hall dates back to 1714, when the construction of the castle was completed. At that time, it was the entrance to the palace, because the city could only be reached by boat. Having stepped ashore, guests passed a garden decorated with statues and flowers, entered a lushly decorated hall. After all, the first impression is decisive. They climbed the stairs to the main hall on the second floor.

            The decoration of the Sala Terrena reminds of the hunting purpose of the castle - the frescoes depict birds, animals, hunters. Coastal landscapes and glimpses of the sky are made of coarse-grained plaster, which gives volume to the composition.   Figures of nobles, dancers and musicians are painted on the columns, allegories of all four seasons alternate, and the whole space is filled with the spirit of joy, music and beauty. The decor of the hall makes it clear that this space was used for musical and theatrical performances.

            In addition to the hunting scenes, the ceiling depicts two scenes from the commedia dell' arte (grotesque theater) popular among the aristocracy of the Baroque era. The first scene is Dottore chasing the Captain with an enema syringe. The second scene is Pantalone kneeling before his beloved Lucia, who gives him her slipper to kiss.

             These scenes are exact copies of images from engravings by Jacques Callot (1592-1635), a French artist. The engravings are called "Captain Cardoni and Maramao" and "Signora Lucia and Trastullo". Although the name of the master who so skillfully decorated the walls of Veltrusa has already been swallowed up in oblivion, his work lives on.

On the stairs are statues of grooms with horses and dog handlers with dogs, works by Franz Anton Kuehn (1679-1742).

The central hall of the castle was used for balls and official dinners. The hall has preserved its original Baroque layout and is completely symmetrical. Interestingly, one fireplace in the hall is real marble, and the other is decorative.   The same goes for the balcony: one is real, and the other is decoration.  

Above the fireplaces are portraits of Vaclav and Rudolf Hotek.  

            The masterful painting of the hall's ceiling creates the illusion of a three-dimensional dome, but in fact the ceiling is flat.

The ceiling depicts the four seasons:

And in the middle - a group of playful angels with a ribbon connected in a circle, as an allegory of the rotation of the Earth and the unchanging flow of time.

The next room in earlier documents is marked as a gallery. Originally there were 46 paintings, of which about half have survived to this day. The paintings are dedicated to mythological subjects, biblical scenes, still lifes, landscapes, portraits. The room was used not only as a gallery, but also for board games, for some time it was a billiard room. Later a dining room was arranged here.   The painting on the ceiling reflects an allegory of strength.  

A notable painting by an unknown artist depicting a scene from ancient Greek myths: Phineus the seer was punished by the gods for abusing his prophetic powers. He was blinded, and evil harpies constantly stole food from his mouth so that he could never get enough. Only when the mythical Argonauts arrived did two of them – the winged brothers Kale and Zeth – drive away the harpies. The painting is probably an allegory of the struggle between good and evil.

      Also worth paying attention to are the paired portraits.

      The third portrait of Jan Rudolf Count Hotek, son of Jan Karel, who not only inherited Veltrusy from his uncle, but also followed in his footsteps in the service of Empress Maria Theresa.

      Two pairs of Renaissance wardrobes, made in Augsburg, Germany, around 1600. Probably the most valuable pieces of furniture in this room.

The next room is Maria Theresa's Salon.  

The visit of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor Franz Stephen of Lorraine, to Veltrusa in 1754 was undoubtedly the highest expression of the imperial family's affection. This took place on the occasion of the world's first trade fair, organized by Count Rudolf Hotek in the castle. This salon was created in the Rococo style as a reminder of this very important event. It displays portraits of the imperial family.

Portrait of Empress Maria Theresa. On the table in front of her are the Royal Crown of Bohemia, the Royal Crown of Hungary, the Archducal Crown of the Austrian Lands, and the private Imperial Crown of the Habsburgs.

Portrait of Emperor Franz Stephen of Lorraine. On the table in front of him is the official Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire and, probably, the Grand Ducal Crown of Tuscany.

A group portrait of the royal couple's children. There were sixteen of them, here the eldest are depicted - in the center, in red, the later Emperor and King of Bohemia Joseph II and his younger brother and successor Leopold II are depicted in a three-cornered hat

Mirrors placed between the windows and above the fireplace visually enlarged the room and illuminated it with reflected light. The mirrors are original and probably among the oldest mirrors in the Czech Republic.

Marble fireplace with mirror and painted mantelpiece and clock (made in France around 1840).

The walls in the Chinese study are covered with rare wallpaper. Original Chinese engravings, which were printed on silk paper and brought to Europe at that time, are cut out and pasted onto textile wallpaper. Around the engravings on the wallpaper are paintings in the same style. The engravings depict the goddess Ma-gu ("Hemp Maiden") - a legendary Taoist immortal fairy, deity of spring, fertility and patroness of women in Chinese mythology. She is depicted both in her classical form and in the image of a fisherman, peasant and courtesan.  

      The wallpapers are very expensive and fragile. They survived the peasant uprising of 1775, when the castle was plundered and a small fire broke out.

Next we get to the personal rooms of the countess. The next room originally served as a bedroom. This is shown by the niche (or alcove) above the bed, which was very popular in the Rococo era. After 1831, the room was converted into a drawing room for Countess Carlota Hotek, as part of her private apartments.

Beautiful silk wallpaper with motifs of clematis flowers and stripes, peach blossoms and parrots, unfortunately, has not survived to this day. This is a copy of the original.

      On the walls are portraits of Countess Carlota's relatives:

Jindrich, Count Hotek, the 4th owner of the castle, Countess Carlota's husband,

Maria Henrietta von Eltz, né e Countess Colloredo Mansfeld, Carlota's mother

Isabella von Eltz, Carlota's older sister

Rudolph Karl (1832–1894), Carlota's firstborn

Ferdinand (1838–1913), Carlota's third son

Arnoš t (1844–1927), Carlota's youngest son

Unfortunately, the portrait of the second son Emerich has not survived.

The next room was used by the Countess for her daily care.

The ceiling depicts a woman with a wreath, symbolizing the allegory of Victory or Victorious Virtue. And the walls are covered with hand-painted silk wallpaper, which was usually imported from China or produced in France. This fabric was so expensive that it was used mainly for wallpapering small rooms.

Next we come to the Yellow Bedroom. It gets its name from the yellow silk damask wallpaper installed in the second half of the 18th century during the life of Rudolf Hotek. The same fabric was also used for the canopy, curtains, and other upholstered furniture. The room was originally used as a bedroom. During the life of Jindř ich Hotek, the entire wing was rebuilt into apartments for Countess Carlota and her children. This room served as Carlota's bedroom.

The four-poster bed has been a staple of bedroom furniture since 1776, as noted in the castle's historical inventory. The canopy and curtains helped maintain thermal comfort in the cold months and served as protection against insects in the warm season. The same fabric was used to upholster the sofa under the mirror and the cushions of the chairs.  

The stove with dolphins and tiles is an original piece of furniture from the mid-eighteenth century. It is the so-called Golí č faience, made at the factory of Emperor Franz Stefan in Golí č (Hungary, now Slovakia). It is decorated with figures of dolphins, depicted as people thought they looked at the time. The wall behind the stove is covered with 18th-century Dutch tiles, brought from the Netherlands by Rudolf Hotek. Their use in Baroque castle interiors in the Czech Republic is completely unique.  

 A Rococo inlaid cabinet with a hinged top. It was used for storing small valuables, as well as for writing.

The flush toilet is ceramic, painted. To increase comfort, in 1843 the first English-style water toilet was installed in the castle. It was located in a fenced window niche, inconspicuously hidden behind a door covered with wallpaper. Wastewater was discharged from the building into a septic tank. There was a tank with water supply above the toilet. Near the toilet door, on a rococo-style chest of drawers, there is a water jug, a washbasin and towels. This entire niche reflects the growing hygienic requirements from the mid-19th century.

Next to the countess's bedroom lived a maid - the personal servant of the mistress of the castle. This room is connected to the neighboring Yellow Bedroom not only by a door, but also by a bell, so that the maid could help her mistress at any time. The walls of the room are decorated with graphic sheets with scenes from Veltrusy Park. They depict buildings from the time of Count Jan Rudolf – the Friends Pavilion, the pseudo-Gothic Red Mill, and the Laudon Pavilion – these buildings still adorn the Veltrusy Park. Unfortunately, the Chinese Pheasantarium has not survived.

The author of these drawings was Jan Rudolf Hotek's daughter, Countess Maria Aloysia.

A 19th-century baptismal set for babies is displayed in the closet.

Next is the children's room. The children's room in the countess's wing was occupied by the younger children and their nanny. Up to the age of 7, children, both sons and daughters, were under the care of their mother. After the age of 7, the sons passed under the care of their father and tutor. On the walls hang portraits of children: the two eldest sons of Jindř ich Hotek and a double portrait of Carlota's two youngest children: Countess Caroline (named Linie) and the two-year-old Arnost.

A cradle, an authentic collector's item of Veltrusy Castle. Therefore, it is likely that the children of Jindř ich and Carlota slept there.

You can find a schedule of castle tours on the official website. The park is open to visitors free of charge. Unfortunately, the tours are only in Czech, you can get a printout of the tour in English at the ticket office. I did a basic tour of the route, it takes about an hour. Overall, it was interesting to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of life at that time.