As I made my way from the grassy parking lot to the chateau, I wondered why I had only heard of Stránov that year, in 2025. After all, Stránov had been open to the public since 2004, even though reconstruction was in progress back then. The chateau looked impressive and romantic with a Neo-Renaissance appearance thanks to a 19th century transformation.
I walked into the café/box office to buy my ticket. The room was quaint with dark paneling. Then I walked into the courtyard dotted with white tables and chairs, and I gazed at the elegant Neo-Renaissance arcades. A distinctive sandstone fountain also caught my attention. From the courtyard I could see a narrow garden area below. People were seated at the white chairs and small tables in the garden. The plant species and flowers were colorful and enthralling.
The guide explained that a Gothic castle had been built on the site in the 15th century, replacing a fortress. Indeed, a Gothic tower still was a dominant feature of the chateau. It was even possible to climb it and take in the views. At the end of the 16th century, the castle got a Renaissance makeover and became a chateau for residential living. During the 18th century, more reconstruction was carried out – this time the chateau turned into a Baroque gem. The garden was also created during this period. The following century Stránov was made into the Neo-Renaissance structure that it is today.
However, the most important time in the chateau’s history began in 1917, when Josef Šimonek, a senator and entrepreneur with the Škoda auto manufacturer, purchased it. He had been so successful and well-respected in the business world that a noble title had been bestowed upon him.
During the First Republic, when Czechoslovakia was a democratic country under the guidance of President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, Šimonek, his wife Božena and their two sons, Jaromír and Jiří, made the chateau their home. Black-and-white photographs of the family dotted the rooms as did a group photograph of a joyous acting ensemble that had shot a film there long ago. I saw artifacts from the sons’ childhood – a sled made in 1929 and well-worn miniature toy cars. A children’s theater stage with figures of a skeleton, king and queen caught my attention. The decoration on it was exquisitely hand-painted. The father even created a small zoo for the children.
Although Šimonek retired from Škoda Auto in 1918, he remained a senator in Parliament until he died in 1934. His son František resided there with his family until the Communists forced them to flee in 1950. František’s mother, Božena, left with her husband’s urn in a basket, never to return. She found shelter in a parish house without running water. She lived there until her death in 1976. I saw the suitcases members of the family had carried when they had to leave their home.
Once nationalized, the chateau became an orphanage. The Šimonek family didn’t get the chateau back until 2003. Before the arrival of the Communists in 1950, there had been 750 pieces of furnishings and objects. Returned to the family in the early 2000s were only 35 of those. Stránov was open it to the public during 2004 even though reconstruction was taking place.
Photo of acting ensemble that shot a film at the chateau many decades ago
Another relative also named Jaromír Šimonek, born in 1945, had called the nearby chateau Lobeč home for five years before being forced out with his family by the Communists in 1950. Growing up, he had his hopes set on studying about machines in Mladá Boleslav, a nearby town. However, the Communists did not permit him to study for his desired profession. He did, though, wind up learning how to repair agricultural machines and took a serious interest in mechanics. Later, he followed in his family’s footsteps and went to work at Škoda Auto. Eventually, he became the mayor of Lobeč. He died in 2021.
The interior of the chateau harkened back to the First Republic. The current owner had furnishings made to look like they had been created during that era, my favorite period of Czechoslovak history. There were a few original furnishings that had been preserved for use in the orphanage.
The interior was cozy with an atmosphere that made me want to open a good book and relax there. In one room with wine red-upholstered chairs and a table with a tea service, I could imagine having a cup of Earl Grey on a wintry evening while discussing the Čapeks’ latest play. I could imagine people seated in armchairs or at tables there, talking animatedly about what was new with Masaryk’s politics, Karel Čapek’s books and Josef Čapek’s artwork. While some of the paintings on the wall were for sale, others harkened back to past eras. The dining room chairs looked elegant with the family coat-of-arms decorating the backs. A beautiful piano also was on display.
In the large space used for weddings, I saw red upholstered chairs with tables complementing the red and gold striped curtains that gave the place an elegant look. I wanted to fall into the quaint wine red leather couch. I noticed the beautiful Bohemian crystal chandelier. On the wall a painting caught my eye. The tranquil landscape featured a calm river with homes dotting the embankment.
The chateau included a toy museum with old objects donated by a private collector. I saw early 20th century dolls of girls in folk costumes and once much loved teddy bears of various sizes. Children’s baby carriages and dolls of various sizes graced the exhibition room. A rocking horse was also on display. I loved the miniature furniture, such as a cabinet filled with plates and tea cups. I also peered in one hallway at original folk costumes, exquisitely made.
I came away from the tour with a warm feeling for my favorite period in Czechoslovak history. I imagined raucous boys playing with miniature cars in the rooms as their father told them to keep the noise down while he read Lidové noviny. The furnishings had brought the chateau to life, giving it a distinct family atmosphere.
Tracy A. Burns is a writer, proofreader and editor in Prague.
Original armchairs made for Josef Šimonek during the First Republic
Peering at the paintings in the third floor art gallery and the furnishings on the first floor representative rooms, I came quickly to the conclusion that Radim Chateau was a hidden gem among sights near Prague. While there were not numerous spaces to visit, the ones viewed on tours of the representative rooms were outstanding in their content and beauty. Everywhere I looked in the gallery and on the representative floor, I saw magnificent artwork. Even the 19th century tapestries and Romantized furnishings in the hallways told intriguing stories of centuries gone by.
I was stunned by the masterful artistry of Radim Chateau during my first visit in 2025. This Renaissance chateau in central Bohemia was built next to a fortress that was first mentioned in writing during the early 14th century. The fortress had various owners. Then Karel Záruba from Hustířan had the chateau constructed in the early 17th century. The two-floor structure was ready for use by nobles in 1610. However, Karel passed two years later, and the property became the possession of his son Jan, who took the side of the defeated Protestants during the Thirty Years’ War. Because the Catholics triumphed, the chateau was confiscated, and Jan had to flee the country. However, when Adam the Younger of Wallenstein took over the chateau and property, he returned it to Jan Záruba. Soon it was purchased by the legendary Šternberk clan. At that time, Radim became an administrative seat where clerks rather than nobles occupied the chateau.
Several owners came and went after 1634. Then, in 1685, the well-known Gallas family took over Radim and held onto it until the 18th century. I thought back to the Clam-Gallas Palace in Prague, where the ceiling frescoes and ballroom with crystal chandeliers are superb. Getting back to Radim history: The next owner was a notable pioneer in the Czech publishing industry, the knighted František Jan Brahier. He printed breaking news in German. When Brahier died in 1721, he did not leave any heirs.
That is when the Kinský family came into the picture. A family that had had so much influence on horse breeding and horseracing, the Kinskýs sold the chateau to Prince Alois Josef Lichtenstein in 1783. This was an important purchase because the chateau stayed in this family for 143 years. During the Lichtenstein reign, the chateau once again served administrative purposes for a significant period of time.
A momentous occasion could have taken place in 1791, if fate had not gotten in the way. The Czech king Leopold II was returning to Vienna from his coronation in Prague and wanted to see Radim Chateau and take in some hunting there. However, plans had to be changed as Leopold II had to hurry back to Vienna without a hunting break. In the early 19th century, there was much reconstruction.
The Lichtenstein’s parted ways with Radim in 1927, when Dr. Jaroslav Bukovský took charge. Many changes took place as he used the chateau for representative purposes. Electricity was added to the chateau, and what was once a French park came to flourish in English style.
During the Nazi Occupation, the German army used the premises, although the owner’s wife, Mrs. Bukovská, was still allowed to have a small apartment there. After May of 1945, the Russian military took control of the chateau. The Communists held it from 1950, when Mrs. Bukovská was still permitted to reside on the premises in a tiny abode. Most of the chateau was changed into offices, and a few apartments were installed. District offices remained in the chateau until the 1990s. Then in restitution the Bukovský family got the chateau back. After selling the chateau in 2005 to Antonín Dotlačil, much reconstruction took place.
The chateau was sold again, this time to the present owner, Bohuslav Opatrý, who is a music and art lover, having restored many of the paintings in his third floor collection. The park and garden underwent reconstruction as did part of the chateau. It was not until this century that Radim Chateau was open to the public.
While most of the furnishings are not original due to the Nazi occupation of the chateau and the dereliction that occurred during socialist times, it does boast original 19th century flooring in the main hall. To be sure, the Communists destroyed most of the chateau interior. Yet, decades later, Radim would be resurrected by painstaking efforts that made it into the gem it is today. The painted ceilings in the bedroom, main hall and gallery have been preserved to a great extent. The painted decoration on several ceilings, such as a lobster and a horse, hails from 1607 to 1610.
In the bedroom that we entered first, I was intriguing by the Baroque bed with exquisite carving. In the dining room, I was speechless at the sight of low Renaissance chairs around a Renaissance table. In other rooms, I saw many Gothic chairs, often Romanticized into 19th century style. A Mannerist cabinet with exquisite woodwork of figures and columns was a delight in one space. I spotted a portrait of Rudolf II among the pictures of rulers that decorated a high wall in the bedroom. I also saw in one space a 18th century globe decorated with allegorical figures of zodiac signs instead of continents. The ceiling decoration of a green-and-white pattern in the bedroom also awed me. So delicate and so much attention to detail.
In the administrative office of the Lichtensteins, I saw pictures of Austro-Hungarian generals. In the study, portraits of past owners as well as the current owner hung on the walls. I recognized Adam the Younger Wallenstein as well as Adam Kinský. There was even a portrait of Octavian Kinský, who was never the owner of this chateau but had made a name for himself with that clan, specifically in horse breeding and horseracing. Work related to his successes could be seen in Karlova Koruna Chateau, which I had visited several times. A more modern likeness of the current owner also decorated one wall. In an isolated space, I peered at a Neo-Gothic altar with medieval elements. Tapestries from the 19th century were present throughout the chateau’s first floor and hallways.
The main hall, often used for weddings, was one highlight of the tour. The painted ceiling featured various objects and animals in bright colors. A 19th century Petrov Grand piano also adorned the space. Paintings from various periods added to the décor.
Close-ups of the Mannerist cabinet
On a tour of the cellar places it was possible to see a Black Kitchen that was still functional as well as an armory and some bedrooms once used by princesses. This was another intriguing tour.
Portrait of Austrian general
However, the biggest highlight for this art lover was the gallery on the third floor. Nineteenth and early 20th century landscapes dotted the hallway. I saw images of the slowly flowing Berounka River, the snow-covered Alps, charming cottages tucked into woodlands, the tranquil landscape in the Pilsen region, sights of Prague, portrayals of sheep, folk dancing figures and haymakers doing laborious work in the fields, mystical forests and other scenes. I was enamored by each painting as landscapes from this time period were my favorite. While most of the paintings were authored by lesser known artists who deserved much praise, one work was painted by the well-known Otakar Nejedlý.
Landscape with Berounka River, not by Nejedlý
This renowned Czech painter lived from 1883 to 1957. He was a pupil of the master landscape artist Antonín Slavíček. His travels to India greatly influenced his works. During World War I, he was mobilized to France where he painted places the Czech legionnaires had fought. After the war, he became an esteemed professor in Prague. He adored the south Bohemian countryside and was inspired by Romanticism, Impressionism and Expressionism.
Painting of sheep by Popelka
Vojtěch Hyněk Popelka created the renditions of moving sheep, and it was no surprise that he specialized in painting animals. He brought to life landscapes and animals in his works during the early 20th century.
Painter Otto Stein, who also was an accomplished graphic artist, lived from 1877 to 1958. Several of his works were displayed in this gallery. After studying in Prague and settling in Munich, he took part in Munich New Secession exhibitions in the early 20th century. During the war, he painted material used to promote the Austro-Hungarian Army. After the war, he became part of the Berlin Secession, having to move to that city. In 1922 his renditions were on display in Prague’s Rudolfinum. He gained acclaim in Germany and the USA.
In 1942 tragedy struck, and he and his family were deported to the Terezín concentration camp. He toiled in the technical department there and bided his free time with drawing. Miraculously, he and his entire family were spared, and, after the war, he moved to Prague. Then he went to live in the north Bohemian countryside, where he did a great deal of painting. He died there in 1958.
The German painter Adrian Ludwig Richter also had works on display in this gallery. He lived from 1803 to 1884 and also succeeded as a illustrator. His paintings featured the Romanticist style, inspired by Caspar David Friedrich. He was especially enamored with the countryside of north Bohemia and the ruins of Střekov Castle in that region. Richter also made 3,000 creations out of wood.
Vlastimil Toman (1930 – 2015) was a painter, graphic artist, illustrator, poet and photographer as well as professor. Several of his landscapes were represented in the gallery. He worked mainly in Třebíč, painting the Vyšocany and Moravian countryside. In the 1960s, he explored the styles of cubism, fauvism, expressionism and lyrical realism. In total, he had 24 solo exhibitions in Třebíč plus 50 collective exhibitions around the country.
Prague Castle in the distance
Čertovka on Kampa Island, Prague
My favorites were the renditions of Prague. One painting featured Prague Castle in the horizon, another showed the Charles Bridge. Yet another displayed the Judith Bridge, which preceded the Charles Bridge. One portrayed Čertovka on Kampa Island.
But there was more. A rather large space featured religious art. I saw numerous madonnas, scenes from the Bible and pictures of saints here as well as Gothic furniture. There was a range of styles, and works hailed from various eras, though none were modern. My head was swimming with this immersion into religious art.
From the third floor, it was easy to read the motto of Saint Benedict on the balustrade. “Tempora matuntur et nos matumar cum illus,” it read. It meant that times change, and we change with them. Other black-painted letters read “Ora et labora,” which translates from the Latin into “Pray and work.” The ceiling on the third floor was richly decorated with depictions of objects and animals.
Not only had I peered at masterfully carved furnishings and other notable objects in the representative rooms but I had also viewed numerous paintings in my preferred landscape genre. The religious art was very impressive, too. While the chateau’s representative spaces are not large, it is worth seeing for those interested in Czech history and sights with artifacts from various eras. Art enthusiasts are sure to love the third floor displays.
On that day there was a wedding, and the café offered various cakes and pastries outside as well as sausages that were cooked over a fire. Delicious bread was available, too.
I went to lunch at U Marka restaurant in Pecky, a small town nearby. The rustic interior was suitable for the delicious Czech food, which cost so much less than that in Prague. I had had a great day.
Tracy A. Burns is a writer, proofreader and editor in Prague.
As usual, this past year was punctuated by travel, though most trips only lasted one day or half of a day. Still, I was able to explore many sights within a two-hour distance of Prague. Once again, I realized that the Czech Republic blossoms with beauty in every niche of the country.
Perhaps the painting that best expresses my year of travel is one I saw at an exhibition of David Caspar Friedrich’s paintings from the Romanticist era. While admiring his “The Wanderer,” I saw the back of a male figure in the forefront, standing on a cliff as he peered at the mist-filled mountains beyond. It epitomizes why I love travelling: to discover new worlds, to muddle through that mist, reaching a clarity that allows me better to understand myself as well as to gain historical knowledge.
By David Caspar Friedrich, on display at Albertinum for temporary exhibition
In the Dresden Albertinum, I was mesmerized by Friedrich’s landscapes. Many featured vibrant colors and a brilliant use of light. He also created dark paintings with a chiaroscuro element that gave them a mystical appearance. Some of his landscapes included a solitary figure traveling alone in nature. Friedrich’s gnarled trees in barren environments were symbolic. I felt especially drawn to his portrayal of mountains in shades of pink.
By Marc Chagall, on display at Albertina in Vienna for temporary exhibition
By Paul Gauguin
By Hoogstraten, Rembrandt’s pupil
I spent three days in Vienna going to major exhibitions featuring works by Chagall, Gauguin and Hoogstraten, a star pupil of Rembrandt. I hadn’t realized how many of Chagall’s paintings took on Jewish themes and serious topics. I had always thought of Chagall’s art as fun-loving and colorful. My favorites were those inspired by Paris and the circus, created in bright blues and yellows. The Gauguin retrospective showed his works from various time periods, so it was possible to see his specific artistic developments. I was most impressed with his early landscapes. I had not heard of Hoogstraten, whose portraits brought out the soul in the sitters just as Rembrandt’s did. His intriguing use of perspective in some paintings also impressed me. Works by Rembrandt also enchanted me in this exhibition.
Franz Xaver Messerschmidt, Character Heads
by Gustav Klimt on permanent display at Upper Belvedere
By Václav Špála, on display at Upper Belvedere
City of Vienna Museum, permanent collection
We also visited the Upper Belvedere Palace Museum in Vienna. While it is best known for its Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele creations, I was entranced with the medieval art in the basement and the Central European collection that featured Czech greats such as Jan Procházka, Bohumil Kubišta and Václav Špála. The Klimt paintings were extremely powerful as were all the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works. My favorite part of the museum involves the unique Late Baroque Character Heads by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt, who rendered alabaster busts of insane people with unique facial expressions. You could see into their souls. In Vienna I entered the City Museum for the first time. The exhibits trace the history of the city from the beginnings to modern day. I saw intriguing paintings, furnishings, posters and objects, among others.
by Eva Švankmajer
Puppets by Jan Švankmajer
Puppet by Jan Švankmajer
I also went to many exhibitions in the Czech Republic outside of Prague. In Kutná Hora I visited an exhibition of works celebrating the 90th birthday of Jan Švankmajer, a surreal artist, along with creations by his wife Eva. The exhibition Disegno Interno included collages, graphic art, objects, book illustrations, drawings, paintings, animated film creations and puppet theatre of both artists from the 1960s and later. Their creations included works that resemble Rudolfine Mannerist renditions as kinds of cabinet of curiosities and art inspired by Giuseppe Arcimboldo. I also noted the inspiration of the Baroque tradition in puppet theatre. Other works fell into the categories of art-brut, eroticism, fetishes and collages influenced by Max Ernst. Much of their art was deeply rooted in the writings of Edgar Allan Poet and Lewis Carrol. Scenography for Czech film was another section. I realized for the first time that surrealist art had been influenced to a great extent by Mannerist trends.
From Through Kafka’s Eyes, graphic art about The Metamorphosis
Through Kafka’s Eyes, Oto Kubín, Brindisi, 1906
In Pilsen I went to an exhibition called Through Kafka’s Eyes, featuring the art that had surrounded Kafka at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of 20th century. I saw posters for Czech art exhibitions in the early 20th century and those advertising 19th century Japanese art as well as works by stellar Czech artists. Paintings by Kubišta, colorful and vibrant, were represented along with sculpture by František Bílek. Czech artists who spent their interwar years in Paris were included, such as Oto Kubín and Georges Kars. Kafka’s own Jewish-themed drawings were a highlight. German art and literature rounded out the intriguing exhibition.
Great Synagogue, Pilsen
Great Synagogue, Pilsen
I also took the time to visit the Great Synagogue in Pilsen, the second largest synagogue in Europe and third largest in the world. On the onion-shaped dome the Star of David stood out. What I admired most was the vaulted ceiling punctuated with blue and gold adornment. Another feature that amazed me was the artistic mastery of the stained glass windows with geometric shapes and figures. The interior is furnished in Oriental style with Neo-Renaissance elements.
Pilsen, U Saltzmannů
We ate at my favorite restaurant in Pilsen, U Saltzmannů, the oldest pub in the city. The Czech food at this establishment cannot be surpassed. I had fried chicken steak this time.
Škoda Museum
In Mladá Boleslav, about 70 kilometers from Prague, I visited for the first time the Škoda Museum, named after the popular Czech automobile manufacturer. The company began making bicycles with Václav Klement and Václav Laurin at the helm in 1895 and soon developed a rich tradition of producing cars. The automobiles on display ranged from vehicles made at the end of the 19th century to those produced in the modern day. I liked the early bicycles, including a two-seater for postal carriers. The cars from the early 20th century were also favorites.
In that same city, we also visited the Aviation museum of Metoděj Vlach, which explored the history of aviation with more than 25 airplanes in the main hall, some hailing from World War I. I saw the 1913 G-III by Gaston and Réné Caudron. It had an open cockpit and 9-cylinder rotary engine. The two-seater wooden plane constructed by the Beneš company called a Be-60 Bestiola featured a 4-cylinder engine and had been flown from 1936 to 1940. The adorable W-01 Little Beetle had been used for airshows in the 1970s.
At that museum, I also learned about the career of pilot Alexander Hessman, who also had starred in a 1926 silent Czechoslovak film. He was the organizer of the Czechoslovak aircraft for the 1936 Olympics. After the Nazi Occupation in 1939, he helped pilots escape with false passports, and he wound up fleeing from the Protectorate to France and then to the USA in January of 1940. After World War II, he returned to Czechoslovakia but fled from the Communist regime, settling in the USA, where he was a technical assistant with PAN AM in New York City.
Mexican mask, Museum of Glass and Jewellery, Jablonec nad Nisou
I traveled several times to north Bohemia this past year. One time I went to Jablonec nad Nisou, where the Museum of Glass and Jewellery was located because of the rich local tradition in these fields. I was immersed in the exotic jewellery of strung and woven glass seed beads by North American Indians, using products from north Bohemia. A mask of the jaguar hailed from the Huichol Indian tribe in Mexico. Glass seed beads from Jablonec nad Nisou were used to make a necklace by the South African Zulu tribe, dated from 1880 to 1900. Jablonec has been the location of the mint for the country’s currency, so many commemorative coins were on display.
I also was impressed by buttons made of glass, metal jewellery and black glass jewellery as well as wooden and plastic jewellery. Colorful handbags, masterfully designed, also made up the collection. The Waldes Museum of Buttons and Pins included more than 5,00 buttons, clasps and buckles with the oldest dating from 9 BC. The Bohemian glass exhibition showed off glass in many styles ranging from medieval and Renaissance to Empire and Biedermeier to Art Nouveau and Art Deco to modernism and contemporary. The museum also has the largest public collection of glass Christmas ornaments in the world with more than 15,000 objects. I saw ornaments of angels, birds, cats, dogs, Santa Clauses, gingerbread men and much more, all contemporary.
Josef Lada’s Villa in Hrusice
I made my first visit to Josef Lada’s Villa in Hrusice, where that author, painter, book illustrator and scenographer had lived while making some 600 paintings and 15, 000 illustrations. I saw his paintings of idyllic village life featuring all four seasons. Children threw snowballs and make snowmen in a quaint village in one painting while a squirrel was perched attentively on a tree branch, overseeing a tranquil village scene in another. Pub scenes showed humorous drunken brawls. I would have loved to have owned one of the charming cottages depicted in his paintings. I loved the paintings of knights and dragons from fairy tales as well as the paintings representing the months of the year. His paintings of scenes from Jaroslav Hašek’s antimilitaristic, multi-volume classic about the Good Soldier Švejk in the First World War caught my attention. Many of his paintings focused on holiday traditions. I also saw his humorous drawings and caricatures.
From the First Republic of Czechoslovakia
Poster by Václav Ševčík commemorating the day of the invasion by the Warsaw Pact armies, August 21, 1968
In Prague I took advantage of the stunning exhibitions this past year. I went to two excellent shows at Kampa Museum. One featured Czech graphic art from the founding of Czechoslovakia in 1918 to the present. I saw the first star-studded designs for the Czechoslovak flag as well as many political posters from the World War II era through Communist times to the Velvet Revolution of 1989. Václav Ševčík made a poster focusing on the day of invasion of the Warsaw Pact armies into Czechoslovakia on August 21, 1968, when the country’s liberal reforms were squashed. The poster shows a blood-red tear below an eye outlined in black on a white background.
Vítězslav Nezval, Alphabet, with typography by Karel Teige
Kampa Museum, Identity exhibition of graphic art, Cindy Kutíková
Other sections concentrated on magazine and book design. I saw beautiful children’s volumes illustrated by Lada, Josef Čapek and Jiří Trnka. I was drawn to the covers and typography of Karel Teige, an avantgarde interwar artist. The exhibition showcased contemporary times by displaying a colorful, large Quantum Beaded Sweater created in 2020 and 2021 by Cindy Kutíková, for instance.
Václav Tíkal, 1944
Otakar Nejedlý, Waterfall, 1913-14
Another exhibition at Kampa Museum focused on paintings from the private collection of entrepreneur Vladimír Železný, purchased for his Golden Goose Gallery. Called The Goose on Kampa, the show featured 70 paintings representing works from the beginning of the 20th century through the 1960s, such as creations by Toyen, Jiří Štyrský, Špála, Emil Filla, Jan Zrzavý and Mikuláš Medek. One painting that caught my undivided attention was Václav Tíkal’s 1944. A hand partially covered in a ripped black glove showing the fingertips, thumb and part of the palm was emerging out of the frozen, snow-covered earth in a barren landscape.
Otto Gutfreund, Viki, 1912-13 from Cubist period
On that day I also explored the Kampa Museum’s permanent collection, specifically the sculptures of Otto Gutfreund, whose early works can be classified as Cubist. His later creations, made after World War I, featured traits of Civilism, which promoted themes of everyday life.
Bohumil Hrabal, 1952, Tragedy! What a Tragedy!
At the Museum of Czech Literature, I greatly appreciated a small exhibition due to my interest in the works of the late 20th century Czech fiction writer Bohumil Hrabal. The modest show emphasized the artistic relationship and friendship of Hrabal and abstract artist Vladimír Boudník, who created the “Explosionism” style. I was most impressed by Hrabal’s collages from the 1950s. One featured a Singer sewing machine, a naked baby and barbed wire heading into the horizon as white crosses in a graveyard punctuated the picture. It was called “Tragedy, What a Tragedy!”
Oto Kubín, Chapel in Simione, 1926
Maurice Utrillo, Chateau de la Seigliere (Aubusson), 1930
The Wallenstein Riding Stables was the site of an intriguing exhibition about artists from Bohemia residing in Paris between the wars. They were part of the “Paris School,” which featured a variety of styles. Czechs Kars, Kubín (Othon Coubine) and Francois Zdeněk Eberl made strong impressions in the lively, vibrant Paris of the 1920s. The themes of the paintings were many: portraits, cityscapes, street life scenes, café and entertainment scenes as well as a focus on the circus and cabaret. I was drawn to Kubín’s landscapes of Provence. The lavender fields were my favorite. Also represented were foreign artists, including Marc Chagall and Maurice Utrillo.
Hendrick Goltzius, The Four Disgracers, 1588
Also at the Wallenstein Riding Stables, the exhibition “From Michelangelo to Callot: The Art of Mannerist Printmaking showed off more than 200 works of 16th and 17th century graphic art, drawings, paintings, jewelry, etchings, lithographs, ceramics and other artistic crafts that hailed from the Netherlands, Germany, France and the Czech lands. The Louvre lent Prague’s National Gallery many works. Some pieces in the collections were being displayed to the public for the first time. A superb small drawing by Michelangelo drew crowds, and art by Hendrick Goltzius, Paul Bril, Aegidius Sadeler and Niccolo Boldrini stood out to me.
Painting by Karel Kryl, temporary exhibition at House of the Golden Ring
Karel Kryl giving a concert
On my birthday I went to the House of the Golden Ring near Old Town Square. I saw an exhibition about the late dissident singer and songwriter Karel Kryl, whose music had been poetic, profound and political. He had lived in West Germany during much of the Communist era and had worked for Radio Free Europe. I realized how politically-motivated his songs had been and how he had supported the Poles as well as the Czechoslovaks in their fights for freedom. I was engrossed by his artwork, disturbing and grotesque scenes with one-legged clowns and half-human, half-creature figures.
Pieter Brueghel II
One of my favorite exhibitions of the year, taking place in Kinský Palace, was called “Get on the ice!”, featuring hockey and skating in paintings and other artistic creations. It reinforced the fact that ice hockey and skating have played significant roles in Czech and Slovak identity. I especially was impressed by the works of the Dutch masters who had inspired Czech painting. Pieter Brueghel II’s scene of skating on a pond caught my undivided attention. Czechs first represented skating on the Vltava River and on ice rinks.
Then hockey became the major theme, first portrayed realistically and then in the 1960s expressed in an experimental fashion. I was drawn to František Tavík Šimon’s “Ice Rink Under the Charles Bridge” (1917) with its large falling snowflakes and idyllic, historical setting. One example of the experimentation of the 1960s is Vojtěch Tittlebach’s “Hockey” from 1965, with abstract shapes and simple forms. The players in this painting had no facial traits. Jiří Kolář also added to the experimentation of the 1960s with his “Hockey Sticks,” composed of three wooden sticks decorated with paper collages, many of them maps and some historical scenes. The 1998 Czech Olympic victory at Nagano was celebrated in large photographs, including one that showed the moment Czech Petr Svoboda scored the winning goal while the crowd in Old Town Square erupted in joy.
New Realisms, Karel Čapek from series Cactuses, first half of the 1930s
One-Handed Ice Cream Man, Miloslav Holý, 1923
In Prague I also saw the New Realisms exhibition, which focused on modern Realist trends in Czechoslovak art from 1918 to 1945. The more than 600 works hailed from the Czech and Slovak lands as well as Germany and Hungary. I especially liked Karel Čapek’s photographs of cactuses and his dog Dašenka as this field focused on the everyday during this era. I also liked the many café scenes, realistic portraits of people, magic realism in landscapes, the focus on the societal and economic dilemmas in Czechoslovakia and the depiction of modern labor. I have always been interested in the paintings of Group 42 as their works had an existential quality, often punctuated by telegraph wires and deserted streets.
Francesco Bartolozzi, The Girl and the Kitten, 1787
One of my favorite exhibitions in Prague this past year was called “The Good Cat and the Treacherous One,” featuring cats in graphic art from the 16th to the 18th century. The art shows how some people revered cats while others hated felines. They often symbolized something or were shown for entertainment. Some considered them to be a form of the devil. Others gave them positive religious connotations. I especially enjoyed the Mannerist works by Goltzius and the graphic art by Wenceslaus Hollar, who portrayed cats with both positive and negative qualities. I saw pictures of cats symbolizing maternal love, sight, hearing, devotion, courage, yearning for freedom, foolishness, frivolity, cruelty, greed, treachery, lust and adultery. I also noticed cats as protectors against snakes. A French painting showed how, in 18th century France, cats had epitomized personal and political freedom.
Clam-Gallas Palace
I focused mostly on day trips when traveling this past year. While I visited chateaus, castles and monasteries outside of Prague, I did also become acquainted with the renovated Clam-Gallas Palace in the capital city. The Baroque palace became the property of the Gallas family in the 17th century. The palace has a rich musical and theatrical history as Mozart and Beethoven both performed there during the late 18th century. The colossal exterior portal is decorated with statuary by Baroque master Matyáš Bernard Braun, and he also created the fountain portraying Triton.
Murano chandelier in Clam-Gallas Palace
The many monumental frescoes amazed as did the chandeliers, especially the 19th century chandelier made of Chinese porcelain cups, saucers and vases. Frescoes depict the triumph of Apollo and gathering of the gods on Olympus, for instance. Allegorical figures representing sculpture, architecture and painting stand out in another fresco. I was very impressed with the former office of the first Czechoslovak Minister of Finance, Alois Rašín, though it was sparsely furnished. He had tried to gather support for the creation of Czechoslovakia during World War I and had even been imprisoned for taking part in the resistance. Rašín was assassinated in Prague during January of 1923 by a 19-year old anarchist.
Bohumil Hrabal’s cottage in Kersko
Kersko near Prague is one of my favorite tranquil spots in the country, a village where Hrabal resided from the 1960s until his death in 1997 and where he fed many feral cats daily. Hrabal’s two-story cottage opened to the public for the first time this spring. I saw the garden where he wrote some books and the charming enclosed terrace where he composed his works when weather did not permit him to spend time in his garden. I saw the chair in which Hrabal wrote his last literary piece, during 1995. The top floor was adorned with many paintings – a moving portrait of Hrabal by Jan Jirů, a drawing featuring heads of Hrabal from his youth to old age in a rendition by Jiří Anderle. Another portrayed cats on chairs in a forest setting along with Hrabal himself. Portraits of his family and a collage focusing on one of his books also caught my undivided attention. The place captured the soul of Hrabal, and I was very moved.
In the local shop, known for its ceramic figures of cats, there was an exhibition of drawings of Hrabal – at the pub, in Heaven, in Kersko, each rendition celebrating the author in a creative way. We ate at my favorite restaurant outside of Prague, Hájenka, a prominent landmark in Kersko. Whether I chose the chicken with cheese sauce, the meat with dumplings or the fried chicken steak, I was always delighted by the meal in a rustic, charming atmosphere.
Mariánská Tynice complex
I traveled about 35 kilometers north of Pilsen to pay a second visit to the High Baroque complex with pilgrimage church Mariánská Tynice, an aerial constructed by renowned architect Jan Blažej Santini during the 18th century, using geometric forms such as quadrangles and triangles as features of his Baroque Gothic style. The church with a Greek cross plan had an impressive illusionary main altar of the Holy Trinity while the east and west ambits were constructed with open arcades featuring eight chapels. The masterful painting on the vaulting and walls celebrates the lives of the Virgin Mary and Cistercian saints. The cupola of the church is lit by eight windows.
Frescoes on the walls and vaults of the ambits
Part of the complex was the Museum and gallery of the North Pilsen region. I liked the Gothic altarpieces and Baroque paintings as well as the 19th paintings of pilgrimage sights. The reconstruction of rooms resembling 19th century and early 20th century village life included a classroom, a countryside chapel and a pub.
Museum of the High-Rises, Kladno, ceramic tile on the facade
Gas masks in the nuclear bunker of the Museum of the High-Rises
In Kladno near Prague, I toured the Museum of the High-Rise, which was located in one of the six Rozdělov high-rises designed by Czech functionalist architect Josef Havlíček in the 1950s. He received acclaim during the interwar years as a member of the avantgarde and studied under Cubist architect Josef Gočár. The façade of the 13-floor building was created from ceramic material, and on that particular high-rise were ceramics of a cat and a dog. There was a small museum in one basement floor. We also visited the nuclear bunker, complete with numerous gas masks and many hard benches. The big rooftop terrace was a prominent feature for that time period. In the representative flat for the higher-ups, we saw 1950s furniture and a balcony. The flat measured about 65 meters squared, quite a luxury in that day and age.
Humprecht Chateau
View from Humprecht Chateau
I also visited many chateaus within a two-hour distance of Prague. Seventeenth century Humprecht Chateau in the central Bohemian Paradise region had an elliptical shape. Much of the interior featured hunting themes. I saw paintings of Venice, Biedermeier bookcases in the two libraries of about 4,000 volumes, a black kitchen with an original fireplace and utensils from the 17th century. The main hall featured four frescoes from the 1930s, showing scenes from the life of the Černín family, the long-time owners of the chateau. Baroque furniture decorated several rooms. The picture gallery includes works from the 17th century. What I liked best about the chateau were the panoramic vistas from the top floor.
Volman Villa
Also, not far from Prague, the newly reconstructed Volman Villa, a large, geometric functionalist structure built from 1938 to 1939, featured big terraces, a circular driveway, a monumental winding staircase and outer stairs that lead to a bridge heading into the building. It is possible to access the terrace from each spacious room. Volman used exotic materials such as travertine and marble for the construction. The marble bathrooms with beautiful pink and light blue bathtubs were vast. While there are now many trees obstructing the view, at one time it was possible to see the Labe River in the 40-hectare English park.
Grabštejn Castle, Chapel of Saint Barbara
I visited several castles and chateaus in north Bohemia – Grabštejn Castle, Jezeří Chateau and Červeny Hrádek Chateau. I was shocked at the vast improvements made during the reconstruction of Grabštejn and Jezeří as I had last visited the two about 20 years ago. Grabštejn, originally a 13th century castle, took on the structure of a Renaissance chateau in the 16th century. The 16th century Chapel of Saint Barbara featured exquisite vaulting and wall painting that included 13 apostles. One tour featured the 18th century administrative offices that made up the castle interior during that time period while another showed the rooms of the nobility, including a gigantic wall painting with chateau-like gardens and fountain. I saw furnishings and artifacts from the 16th to 19th centuries.
Jezeří Chateau, painting by Carl Robert Croll
While only a few rooms of Jezeří Chateau were opened about 25 years ago, now there are about 10 impressive spaces on the tour. I loved the paintings of Carl Robert Croll, renditions which showed the interior of the chateau during the early 19th century. I was especially impressed with the room dedicated to Jan Masaryk, the son of the first president of Czechoslovakia and once the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was thrown out a bathroom window at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Communists after the 1948 coup. The Winter Garden was light and airy, punctuated by much greenery. The lavish Theatre Hall included sculptural and stucco adornment as well as an original fireplace. The paintings throughout were impressive, too.
Červený Hrádek, Knights’ Hall
Červený Hrádek dated back to the early 15th century and gets it current appearance from the 17th century. The Knights’ Hall from that era included lavish sculptural decoration with medallions featuring battle scenes and exquisite crystal chandeliers. Other spaces harkened back to the 18th and 19th centuries with period furnishings. Seventeenth century sculptor Jan Brokoff created sculptures, fountains and vases that decorated the monumental staircase. The English style park was beautiful, too. In August of 1938 the Sudeten Party leader Konrad Henlein and English Lord Walter Runciman had a meeting there, shortly before the Munich Agreement was signed.
Dobříš Chateau Park
Dobříš Chateau Park
Because the interior had been recently renovated, I returned to Dobříš Chateau not far from Prague. I was disappointed there were not as many rooms decorated with period furniture. Instead, the self-guided tour mostly featured spaces celebrating the Colloredo-Mansfield family’s accomplishments, which were very intriguing and noteworthy, to be sure. Still, I missed the longer, guided tour and former exciting interior décor of the Rococo and Classicist eras. The Writers’ Room remained on display, decorated the way the space would have looked when the chateau belonged to the Writers’ Union from the 1950s to the 1990s. It was possible to enter one side of the spectacular Hall of Mirrors, although it was roped off and walking through the room was not permitted. The fresco-filled hall amazed with 18th century décor and eight Venetian chandeliers as well as monumental fireplaces.
Illusionary painting on the orangery in Dobříš Chateau Park
The park, measuring nearly two hectares, was the reason to visit the chateau. On that sunny summer day, it was spectacular to stroll through the Rococo style park established in the 1770s. It had five terraces, a fountain with astounding Baroque sculptural grouping and an orangery with illusionary wall painting.
Slatiňany Chateau
Interior of Slatiňany Chateau
I traveled to Slatiňany Chateau for the second time and noted the prominent hunting and horseback riding themes. The Auerspergs held on to the chateau for 200 years and were responsible for the charming interior. I loved the exquisite canopied beds decorated with religious paintings. The tapestries were another delight. In the Big Dining Room I admired a large painting of hunters and their dogs getting ready for the hunt as well as a stunning 18th century Murano chandelier.
Vienna, Albertina, Monet, Waterlillies, in the permanent collection
I had many exciting adventures traveling in 2024 and had many impactful experiences at art exhibitions in the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria. Every time I go on a trip or to an art show, I come away changed, with a sharper perspective on life and with more enthralling knowledge.
Albertinum, Dresden, Hans Grundig, The Thousand-Year Empire, in the permanent collection
Tracy A. Burns is a writer, proofreader and editor in Prague.
The first time I visited Jezeří Chateau was around the year 2000, about four years after it had opened to the public. While the chateau dominating the mountainous landscape appeared impressive from afar, up close it had looked derelict, as if it was about to collapse. The tour had covered only several rooms because much of the structure was under reconstruction. I left Jezeří feeling sad that a chateau with such promise had been derelict for so long. I wondered if the state would ever be able to make the chateau presentable again as so much rebuilding was necessary.
Now, 24 years later, I went back to the chateau situated in the Ore Mountains near the German border. About 10 rooms were open to the public, and they were impressive. I especially loved the paintings of Carl Robert Croll and the room where former Minister of Foreign Affairs and son of the first Czechoslovak President, Jan Masaryk, had stayed overnight. Spaces that had once succumbed to a sad plight now impressed, many harkening back to the golden days of the chateau.
The main facade of the chateau
But it is necessary to start at the beginning and get to know Jezeří’s history and suffering throughout years of dilapidation before touching upon the current appearance. To appreciate Jezeří fully, one has to be aware of the chateau’s journey, a long and winding one that overcame many obstacles.
Atlantis statue on main portal of the chateau
Jezeří Chateau dominates the landscape as a Baroque structure in the Ore (Krušné) Mountains of north Bohemia. It had been transformed from a Gothic castle called De Lacu (from the lake) to a Renaissance chateau by the Hochhauser family and finally to its Baroque appearance today. It was first mentioned in writing as a Gothic castle in the 1360s. The Thirty Years’ War brought much damage and destruction.
Statue of a dog above the main courtyard of the chateau
Then, in 1623, Vilém the Younger Popel Lobkowicz bought it, and the Lobkowicz name would punctuate the chateau’s history for centuries. Under Ferdinand Vilém Lobkowicz, from 1647 to 1708, extensive reconstruction took place. The property included 500 hectares. A hall replete with grandeur showed off oval vaulting, stucco decoration and large columns while a new richly decorated dining room sported a beautiful ceiling. Rooms were adorned with frescoes. The garden showed off fountains and cascades. A zoo was on the premises. However, all good things came to an end when a fire that could not be extinguished ravaged the building during 1713.
During 1722 the chateau passed into the hands of the Roudnice branch of the family. Jezeří would come to life again when reconstruction occurred during the 18th and 19th centuries. Jezeří flourished, filled with frescoes and paintings by masterful artists. The English style garden included an artificial grotto and lavish statues. The H-shaped chateau became a center for musical and theatrical events during the Baroque and Classicist eras as famous guests visited its renowned theatre.
View of oratory of chateau chapel
Owner Maxmilián had opera singers visit from ensembles in Vienna and Dresden. Beethoven was friends with Prince František Maxmilián. The first private performance of Beethoven’s third “Eroica” Symphony, which the composer had dedicated to František Maxmilián, took place here. It also was the site of the first private performance (1797) of Haydn’s Creation. My favorite symphony by Beethoven, his sixth (the Pastoral), was also dedicated to Prince Lobkowicz.
Sculpted heads with facial expressions adorn the Theatre Hall.
Another sculptural decoration in the Theatre Hall
At the time, vast Jezeří was buzzing with excitement in its 114 rooms and numerous smaller spaces. The English gardens and park were Baroque in style and showed off statues of mythological figures, greenhouses, pavilions, an artificial waterfall, terraces with magnificent views and an arboretum.
Painting of chateau interior by Carl Robert Croll
In the early 19th century, the prominent painter Carl Robert Croll created canvases for the Lobkowiczes, and his renditions of the chateau’s exterior and interior are magnificent. His “Winter Garden” from 1841 portrayed a light and airy room with many plants and windows, white walls and blue-upholstered furniture. The painting “The Big Salon,” created that same year, showed children dancing and men immersed in a game of billiards. Croll’s work “Smaller Salon at Jezeří” focuses on women and girls chatting and ordering tea or coffee. Croll painted the exterior of the chateau at night, presenting it as mystical and magical.
A painting of the chateau landscape by Carl Robert Croll
During the existence of The First Republic of Czechoslovakia, Jezeří was under the guidance of JUDr. Maxmilián Ervín Lobkowicz (1888 – 1968). Maxmilián served as a Czechoslovak diplomat and during World War II held the post of Czechoslovak Ambassador to Great Britain as he played a major role in the anti-fascist movement with the government-in-exile in London.
After he went into exile in 1938, Nazi soldiers took control of the chateau, and during 1943, a prison camp for Poles, Russians, French and out-of-favor German soldiers was situated on the property. Among the prominent figures incarcerated there was Pierre de Gaulle, brother of former French President Charles de Gaulle.
Jan Masaryk, Minister of Foreign Affairs and democrat
Maxmilián Lobkowicz returned after the war, and his good friend Jan Masaryk, then Czechoslovak Minister of Foreign Affairs, visited Maxmilián there on several occasions. However, Jan Masaryk would be shoved out a bathroom window by Communist officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Prague and fall to his death. The totalitarian regime categorized it as a suicide.
Times would change for the worst as Maxmilián and his family had to go into exile during 1948, carrying with them only a few belongings. The Communist coup had taken place, forcing the lifelong democrat Maxmilián to flee once again. At this time, the chateau was deteriorating.
Jan Masaryk, son of the first president of democratic Czechoslovakia
Jezeří certainly did not get a pretty makeover during the following decades. On the contrary, in 1950 the Czechoslovak army took over Jezeří, and the interior was destroyed. Then, five years later, the Ministry of the Interior used the building. Several other institutions were situated there in subsequent years, and times were definitely not rosy. The place was often vandalized until 1960. Jezeří Chateau became a cultural monument in 1963, though its condition did not improve. At the end of the 1960s and in the 1970s, extensive mining took place on the grounds. During the 1970s and 1980s, there was talk of tearing Jezeří down because the structure was not deemed safe due to the mining activities.
The chateau had been surrounded by intensive coal mining for centuries. Mines with dams and ditches punctuated the Ore Mountains. The mining history harkens back to the 16th century, and though it was halted for a while after the Thirty Years’ War of the 17th century, mining activities returned with a vengeance during the 19th century due to the discovery of cobalt blue and uranium in the mountains. During the first and second world war, much mining took place in the Ore Mountains. Then, after the Soviets took control of Czechoslovakia, the Ore Mountains were used as a source of uranium ore, but it was all kept hush-hush. The beautiful forests were destroyed under Communist rule. Jezeří didn’t even appear on maps anymore.
After the Velvet Revolution of 1989 that triggered the end of Communist rule, the Lobkowiczes got the chateau back in restitution. In 1991, the state declared the chateau a protected cultural monument. However, the chateau was in such bad condition that the Lobkowiczes were not able to do the necessary repairs because it would be so costly. In 1996 Martin Lobkowicz gave the chateau to the state. Repairs began, but it would be a long journey before the chateau appeared in a decent state.
The artwork in the chateau is superb.
During 1996, one room in the chateau was open to the public. When I visited in 2000, more rooms were accessible, but there was a lot of reconstruction taking place. Back then, I felt a sense of profound sadness because the necessary reconstruction would take years to accomplish. Yet hope and determination won out. The chateau continued to be painstakingly restored, and finally part of the first floor and a section of the second floor were on display for visitors. It was made a national cultural monument in 2022.
The chateau Theatre Hall
The stunning balustrade of the Theatre Hall
Now visitors can admire the renovated, lavish Theatre Hall with its original fireplace and stucco decoration. Heads of figures with various theatrical expressions decorate the walls. The cupola is impressive as is the balustrade above. Concerts are held here, reviving Jezeří’s musical tradition.
The Winter Garden today
The Winter Garden was renovated to look like it did in Carl Robert Croll’s paintings, and it is a tranquil, comfy place full of greenery. I would love to have tea in that soothing space.
Paintings throughout the chateau are intriguing with Carl Robert Croll’s works showing a stunning chateau interior and exterior at the beginning of the 19th century. Many other artworks are impressive, too. Three pianos are on display. The vaulting and stucco ornamentation in rooms is intriguing to say the least.
Jan Masaryk’s room at the chateau
Jan Masaryk’s room at the chateau
My favorite room is the one dedicated to Jan Masaryk. Seeing his room at the chateau made me imagine his visits with the Lobkowiczes during the chateau’s better days. The portraits of Jan Masaryk across from the room brought to mind Masaryk’s fierce fight for democracy and his tragic fate. I remember, during a tour of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, being shown the bathroom window from which he was shoved to the hard ground outside.
Bust of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, first president and Czechoslovakia and father of Jan Masaryk
Twentieth century coffee and tea set in Jan Masaryk’s room at the chateau
I see Jezeří Chateau as a symbol of hope, of the determination that can painstakingly change a monument considered for demolition into an edifice with an intriguing interior that impresses visitors. There is still much reconstruction going on, but Jezeří continues to develop – slowly but surely. I was glad I had been able to witness so many positive developments.
Handpainted toilet in the chateau
Tracy Burns is a writer, proofreader and editor in Prague.
This past year’s travels included two trips to Italy, one to my beloved Milan and environs and the other to the Amalfi Coast, somewhere I have dreamed of going for many years. I also spent time visiting sights in the Czech Republic, such as Zbiroh and Karlova Koruna chateaus and the towns of Kutná hora and Hradec Králové. I also dined in the traditional Czech pub Hájenka in Kersko. I flew to northern Virginia to see my parents for two weeks in March and had a great time with them as well as with four friends. In Washington, D.C., I visited the National Portrait Gallery and Museum of American Art.
From Petr Brandl Exhibition
I saw many thrilling art exhibitions, including ones focused on the Baroque art of Petr Brandl and the Art Nouveau works of Alphonse Mucha. Karel Teige, Czech avant-garde artist best known for his interwar works, was the focus of an exhibition at the Museum of Czech Literature, which I visited for the first time in 2023.
Campari Tomb at Monumental Cemetery in Milan
My May trip to Italy last year saw me back in Milan, which I had visited for the first time the previous year. I went to several sights I had not seen before. I toured Milan’s Monumental Cemetery to see the architectural gems of tombstones in various styles from the 18th century to contemporary. A colossal sculptural grouping of Da Vinci’s The Last Supper, made for the Campari family, was my favorite. I also saw a structure resembling the Tower of Babel and another looking like Trajan’s Column. An Egyptian pyramid shape made up another monument. Another artistic delight was Italian artist Lucio Fontana’s design of a modern angel. The sculptural decoration throughout the cemetery was astounding.
At National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci in Milan
I also visited the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci, where I was enamored by the 170 models of Da Vinci’s drawings of buildings, machines and weaponry. I also loved the hangars featuring planes, ships and trains. A Vega Launcher hailed from 2012. A submarine also stood outside.
Paintings lined the walls at the House Museum of Boschi Da Stefano in Milan.
The House Museum of Boschi Da Stefano, located in a posh apartment outside the city center, featured 300 works of 20th century art, mostly paintings but also drawings, furniture and sculpture. Most pieces hailed from 1900 to 1960. The walls were covered with art from top to bottom. Some artists represented were Fontana, Giorgio De Chirico, Pablo Picasso and Amadeo Modigliani.
Navigli section of Milan
I also visited the Navigli district of Milan, where two picturesque streets flanked a canal, making for a picturesque setting. The Navigli is dotted with outdoor cafes and stores, including a few intriguing bookshops.
Basilica of Saint Anastasia, Verona
I spent time outside of Milan, too. I traveled to Verona for the second time. I marveled at the Basilica of Saint Anastasia, the largest church in the city as well as the cathedral and three museums – the Castelvecchio Museum, the modern art museum and the House Museum Palace Maffei – my favorite. The Basilica of Saint Anastasia was built in the 13th century and boasted a Late Gothic façade. The main altar was made from light yellow marble while one chapel housed a famous 15th century fresco. Red and white marble columns decorated the interior. The Pelligrini Chapel included a fresco from the 14th and 15th century as well as intriguing sculpture. A fresco at the left transept had been rendered by a disciple of Giotto. A rudder of a 16th century ship added to the splendid interior decoration.
Verona, House Museum Palace Maffei
Verona, House Museum Palace Maffei
However, it was the House Museum Palace Maffei that captured my heart. Half of the Palace Maffei was designed as a luxurious home punctuated by art from various eras ranging from the 14th century to modern day. The other half was a 20th century art gallery, featuring works by Picasso, Duchamp, De Chirico, Warhol, Ernst, Modigliani, Fontana and others. Paintings, sculpture, drawings, engravings, pottery, bronzes, frescoes and furniture of both Italian and foreign origin dazzled my mind.
In the Castelvecchio Museum, Verona
The Castelvecchio Museum, established in the 14th century, included 30 halls of Italian and European painting and sculpture from the Romanesque days to the 1700s. Not only did I see many paintings but also ancient weapons, ceramics, gold objects and more. The exterior featured panoramic views of the romantic city.
A romantic lane in Bellagio
My other day trip was to Lake Como, where I visited picturesque Como, Bellagio and Mennagio. Unfortunately, it rained all day, but I still had a great time. I also saw the exterior of some noteworthy villas, such as Richard Branson’s waterfront home, the Villa Carlotta and a villa where some episodes of Succession had been filmed. I saw a hotel where Greta Garbo had acted, too. The Villa Olmo in Como had a neoclassical exterior and stunning lake views. Bellagio featured steep, cobblestoned lanes and the Romanesque Basilica of San Giacomo. Mennagio was home to several intriguing churches and had a picturesque lakefront square.
House Museum Bagatti Valsecchi, Milan
House Museum Poldi Pezzoli, Milan
In Milan I also visited beloved sights that I had first seen the previous year. I returned to the House Museum Bagatti Valsecchi with its Renaissance and Neo-Renaissance art and to the House Museum Poldi Pezzoli with its art of various eras, such as medieval triptychs, ceramics, historical pocket watches and other time pieces.
Gallery of Modern Art, Milan
Gallery of Modern Art, Milan
I visited the second floor of the Gallery of Modern Art with its Grassi and Vismara Collections. The Grassi Collection featured both Italian and foreign works ranging from the 14th century to contemporary times. Oriental art was displayed, too. The Vismara Collection concentrated on 20th century masterpieces. On that floor I saw impressive art by Manet, Picasso, Gauguin, Renoir, Van Gogh and Cezanne. Toulouse Lautrec was well-represented, too.
Museum of the Risorgimento, Milan
Brera Art Gallery, Milan, Work of Andrea Mantegna
The Museum of Risorgimento remains another of my favorites with its painting, prints, sculptures and artifacts depicting Italian historical events from 1796 to 1870. The Brera Art Gallery was another highlight, as I gawked at the Italian art from the 13th to 20th century as well as at the foreign works in the 38 vast halls. I loved the paintings from the Netherlands, including those by Peter Paul Rubens and Jacob Jordaens. Other Brera-represented artists dear to my heart included Francesco Hayez, Andrea Montegna, Tintoretto and Caravaggio. I even visited an exhibition of ancient manuscripts in the historical Baroque library. Once again, I was amazed by the 16th century frescoes by Bernardino Luini, his brothers and his son in the Renaissance Church of San Maurizio in downtown Milan.
Sorrento, Nativity Scene, Cathedral of Saints Filippo and Giacomo
During my trip with arsviva travel agency to the Amalfi Coast in June, I fell in love with Sorrento. The streets were picturesque, and the Cathedral of Saints Filippo and Giacomo was Romanesque with a Neo-Gothic façade. Three lunettes showed off beautiful frescoes while a rose window also astounded. Inside, the Latin cross interior boasted three naves with 14 pilasters. The pulpit, hailing from the 16th century, had Doric columns. Stunning frescoes on the cupola, intarsia adornment and a Baroque ceiling were other remarkable elements. The Chapel of Nativity displayed a Neapolitan Nativity scene from the 17th century.
Correale Museum, Sorrento
Museum of Intarsia, Sorrento
The Correale Museum served as a provincial art gallery, and I was enthralled by the 17th and 18th century Italian landscapes, especially those of Castellammare di Stabia, where we were staying. Greek and Roman fragments, historical furniture, clocks, ceramics and porcelain were also on display. The waterfront boasted spectacular views of the sea, which were very soothing. The highlight of my visit to Sorrento was the Museum of Intarsia, with everything from music stands to large beds showing off intarsia decoration by local artists. Some historical paintings were also on display. Downstairs, I saw the innovative, avantgarde designs of contemporary intarsia artwork.
Pompei
I also visited Pompei for a second time. Even though the day was scorching hot, I enjoyed seeing the small and big theatre, the basilica and three temples, especially the one named after Apollo with its 48 Ionic columns. The amphitheatre with a capacity of 20,000 spectators also caught my undivided attention. The wall paintings and mosaic floors of what had been luxurious homes were sights to behold as well.
Ravello, pulpit in cathedral
We moved to a nice hotel in the picturesque, tranquil town of Maiori, where I could spend time in a café or restaurant overlooking the beach or savor homemade ice cream. The town that had made it on UNESCO’s list during 1997 was a perfect place to relax after a busy day out. Before arriving at our hotel in Maiori, we saw Ravello’s Romanesque Cathedral of Saint Maria Assunta and Saint Panteleone, hailing from the 11th century. I admired the 12th century bronze doors and remarkable 13th century Pulpit of Gospels adorned with mosaics. One 16th century chapel contained an phial of blood of Saint Panteleone. The views of the sea from the hilly town were spectacular, too. Numerous famous guests, from Richard Wagner to Virginia Woolf and Greta Garbo, had graced the streets of this town.
Ravello Cathedral, bronze doors of central portal
Positano, a UNESCO-listed tourist site since 1997, was a picturesque hillside town, but, unfortunately, during this past June, it was much too crowded to enjoy. I did peek into the church, though. Its main altar showed off a Byzantine icon from the 13th century. The views of the sea were fabulous.
Cathedral of Saint Andrew, Amalfi
Cathedral of Saint Andrew, Amalfi
Another highlight of my trip was visiting the Cathedral of Saint Andrew in Amalfi, which was founded in the ninth century AD and boasted a 13th century Arab-Norman exterior with Italian Neo-Gothic elements. The mosaic adornment in the tympanum is stunning. Sixty-two steep steps led to the bronze doors of the central portal that hailed from Constantinople, made in the 11th century. A cloister included some intriguing fragments of wall paintings while the interior had Baroque features along with Gothic and Renaissance chapels. The Basilica of the Crucifix harkened back to the ninth century and served as a museum of sacral objects, including sculpture and vestments. The crypt, where the relics of Saint Andrew were held, was stunning with much ceiling and wall decoration.
Paper Museum at paper mill, Amalfi
I also was enamored with the still functioning paper mill at the Paper Museum. The Pope used paper made in Amalfi, which held the distinction of being the oldest paper manufacturer in Europe. The machines and the processes of making and drying the paper were enthralling.
Cathedral of Saint Matthew, Salerno
Salerno was a pleasant surprise. The Romanesque Cathedral of Saint Matthew hailed from the 11th century. The tower was a mixture of Byzantine and Norman styles. The central bronze door was made in Constantinople. Two Byzantine mosaic-decorated pulpits with intricate intarsia amazed in the once Romanesque interior that had been mostly transformed into Baroque style. Mosaics throughout the cathedral were stunning. Frescoes in the treasury chapels were accompanied by a silver statue of Pope Gregory VII. The Late Mannerist ceiling and wall frescoes in the crypt were remarkable, hailing from the middle of the 17th century. A reliquary of Saint Matthew’s arm was on display, too.
Diocese Museum, Salerno
I also visited the nearby Diocese Museum, which featured paintings, sculpture and objects from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. I was most drawn to the medieval altarpieces. The provincial picture gallery was small but included an eclectic array of intriguing works from the 15th to 18th century.
Cathedral of Saint Barbara, Kutná hora
Cathedral of Saint Barbara, Kutná hora
I took some day trips in the Czech Republic, too. We visited Kutná hora, the home of prosperous silver mines from the 13th to 15th century, during one stunning fall day. Saint Barbara’s Cathedral, with its Neo-Gothic exterior of buttresses and gargoyles, astounded me. Inside, I admired exquisite stained glass windows as well as remarkable late Gothic frescoes and a 16th century stone pulpit. The Gothic royal chapel with Art Nouveau decoration at the Italian Court was another remarkable gem.
Pub in Kersko
I visited Kersko twice this fall. I dreamed of owning a cottage in the tranquil, wooded village. I had lunch at the traditional Czech pub called Hájenka, where several films based on Bohumil Hrabal’s writings had been shot. Hrabal had lived in a cottage nearby for many years, feeding all the feral cats that would wander hungrily toward his home.
Zbiroh Chateau
I also toured the chateaus of Zbiroh and Karlova Koruna. Zbiroh, built before 1230, for decades served as a top-secret facility for the Czechoslovak army. Its representative rooms were open to the public only in 2005. The chateau boasted many Madonna statues and other sculpture of great interest as well as African masks, tapestries, Empire furnishings and copies of Leonardo da Vinci paintings. Alphonse Mucha had used the spectacular main hall as his studio early in the 20th century. A beautiful skylight, two Czech crystal chandeliers and impressive paintings adorned Mucha’s former studio.
Exterior of Karlova Koruna Chateau
Karlova Koruna Chateau, designed by Santini-Aichel and built during the 18th century, had a roof shaped as a crown. The chateau consisted of two stories in cylindrical shape with three one-floor wings. The interior featured paintings of horses, including the unique gold-colored horses that the Kinský family had bred as well as pictures of steeplechase races. One painting of a horse race was made of 12 pieces of deerskin.
Beneš Villa
We visited the former villa of Edvard Beneš, president of Czechoslovakia during the interwar years and a prominent member of the Czechoslovak governments-in-exile during the First World War. The stunning Neo-Spanish structure included the room where Beneš died, a dark landscape painting by Antonín Slavíček hanging over his single bed. The furnishings and artworks in the house were intriguing, to say the least. Beneš and his wife Hana were buried in a monumental tomb on the premises as well.
Sucharda’s Second Villa, Prague
In Prague I visited the second villa of sculptor and relief artist Stanislav Sucharda in the Bubeneč district. Jan Kotěra designed the structure with many architecturally intriguing elements. Much of the remarkable interior furnishings had been designed by Kotěra and Sucharda. I saw examples of Sucharda’s artwork as well as pieces by Edvard Munch, Auguste Rodin and many Czech artists.
Gallery of Modern Art, Hradec Králové, Work by Emil Filla
Gallery of Modern Art, Hradec Králové, Věra Jičínská, Brittany
I saw many impressive art exhibitions this year. I traveled to Hradec Králové, where I saw the Gallery of Modern Art with its impressive collection of works by 20th century artists including Bohumil Kubišta, Emil Filla, Jaroslav Róna, Ladislav Zívr, Quido Kočian and many others. The temporary exhibition of artist and writer Věra Jičínská’s works included paintings of her travels to Brittany and Paris. Her renderings of Paris showed off orange rooftops and the Eiffel Tower. She also created paintings inspired by folk art and dance. Her photography amazed me as well. Influenced by her work as a journalist, she created a painting dedicated to this genre.
Museum of East Bohemia, designed by Jan Kotěra, Hradec Králové
The museum devoted to the history of Hradec Králové was an architectural gem designed by Kotěra. I especially liked the furnishings and designs by Josef Gočár and Kotěra as well as the sculpture by Sucharda. The mock shops from the First Republic (1918-1938) were very intriguing as I could see goods that were sold during that era and feel the atmosphere of those times.
National Technical Museum, Prague
In Prague I saw the National Technical Museum for the first time. The cars, especially the 1935 Tatra 80 vehicle belonging to first Czechoslovak President Tomas G. Masaryk, fascinated me as did the motorcycles, bicycles and planes. The dining car of Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph I, later used by President Masaryk, was also on display. I also was enamored by the architecture and engineering section and the display of old household items in another section. The TV studio, in use from 1997 to 2011, was another delight. Other areas of interest included astronomy, chemistry, printing, photography, time pieces, metallurgy and mining.
Museum of Czech Literature, book cover by Karel Teige
Another astounding sight in Prague was the newly-located Museum of Czech Literature, which moved to the Petschek Villa in Bubeneč during 2022. The displays cover literary developments from the 19th century National Revival movement through the 20th century. I came to appreciate the significance of the literary and art criticism periodical The Critical Monthly from the 1930s and 1940s as well as the symbolist and mystical paintings of Josef Váchal. I was most enamored by the avantgarde book covers designed by Karel Teige in the 1920s and 1930s. His unique typographical work in Vítězslav Nezval’s The Alphabet book was on display, too. A pantheon of great Czech 19th century artists included objects associated with the writers and their busts.
Karel Teige, Greetings from a Journey
A temporary exhibition focusing on Teige’s youth and early career from 1912 to 1925 was amazing, showing off his artwork, photographs, correspondence and more. I understood very well why this artist, writer, theoretician, critic, translator, book designer, typographer and photographer was considered the leading figure of the Czech avantgarde movement between the wars.
Trade Fair Palace, Prague, Fire by Josef Čapek
At The Trade Fair Palace in Prague, I saw the newly installed End of the Black-and-White Era permanent exhibition of art from 1939 to 2021 in chronological order. More than 300 works, mostly Czech, were displayed with historical context. Josef Čapek’s painting “Fire,” showing a fury of flames behind a woman, presents an anti-Nazi theme. The focus on urban life and factories as well as everyday life was highlighted with the works of Kamil Lhoták. The exhibition featured many works made during the Stalinization period of the 1950s with the style of social realism. Martin Slanský depicted Lenin in a snowy Prague. A model of the design of the monument to Stalin in Prague was on display, too.
Trade Fair Palace, Prague, The Dialogue by Karel Nepráš
The progressive movements of the 1960s made way for the red abstract figures of Karel Nepráš. From the late 1960s to early 1980s art as installation came to the forefront. Action art, performance and body art were often the focus of the times. The late 1980s triggered the impersonal postmodernism movement. After the 1989 Velvet Revolution that toppled the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia, individuality and quests for personal identity came to the fore. Some artists focused on the commercialization of society. This new exhibition was extensive and moving. I felt drawn into each historical period up to the present day. The works displayed well represented the movements expressed. I could see how society and culture kept changing and how art reflected those changes.
Saint Jerome by Petr Brandl
I went to many intriguing temporary exhibitions in Prague, too. I saw 64 religious works, genre paintings and portraits by Czech Baroque artist Petr Brandl. An extensive exhibition of Alphonse Mucha’s versatile works owned by his descendants included some originals never before put on display. Mucha’s ad posters, drawings, paintings, sculptures, photographs and jewelry all captured my undivided attention.
Sculpture by Janouch
I saw sculpture of athletes in motion and busts of illustrious Czechs by Petr Janouch in Prague’s Kooperativa Gallery. An earlier exhibition there featured Czech 19th and 20th century paintings involving water – puddles, lakes, waterfalls, streams, rivers and so on. I especially liked one painting by Josef Čapek showing a fisherman on a boat in a river. Landscapes with water themes by Slavíček and Antonín Hudeček also astounded.
Sculpture by Ivan Mestrovic
At the City Library Gallery I saw an exhibition of sculpture by Croatian Ivan Mestrovic (1883-1962). I had come across his art at his villa in Split during a vacation many years ago. Mestrovic, who had befriended first Czechoslovak President Masaryk and Czech sculptor Bohumil Kafka, had delved into a variety of styles, including Art Nouveau, Symbolism, Impressionism, Art Deco, Neoclassicism and late Realism, while preserving a Classical foundation. He focused on numerous themes – religious motifs, portraits and monumental works as well as studies of figures.
Olinka
However, shortly after I returned from the Amalfi Coast, I had to temporarily halt any traveling so I could be at home with Olinka, who was diagnosed with neurological issues that greatly affected her mobility. A MRI showed that she suffered from inflammation of the middle ear. A terrified Olinka spent a total of four nights in the hospital and was on antibiotics for ten weeks. Every two weeks we went to the vet so she could get her antibiotic shot.
Olinka
The first four days at home after three nights in the hospital she could hardly walk and was very disoriented. Those initial few days she stayed mostly in the bedroom closet, only appearing for food and the use of the litter box. She didn’t play with her toys for three weeks. Before her illness, I had been frustrated with Olinka because she always knocked everything off tables and the kitchen counter. Sometimes it felt like a never-ending battle. At the start of her illness, I came to appreciate even her most frustrating quirks. I just wanted her knocking everything off surfaces again, back to her old self. The broken glass on the screen of my mobile phone is proof that she is once again doing just that.
Olinka
I will never forget her first night back from the hospital. She somehow made her way onto the bed and reclined below my pillow. I rested next to her, my arms around her. We stayed like that for an hour or two, just spending time with each other, appreciating that she was alive and at home. I will always remember that feeling of relief and love more profoundly than any experience during my exciting travels.
Tracy A. Burns is a writer, proofreader and editor in Prague.
Olinka on Christmas Eve
From Alphonse Mucha exhibition
Municipal House, Prague, Mayor’s Hall, decoration by Alphonse Mucha
I toured the Municipal House in Prague. Once again, I was captivated by its Art Nouveau interior.
I was very excited to visit Zbiroh Chateau because, even though it had been open to the public since 2005, I was visiting for the first time. It wasn’t far from Prague, either. I knew that the chateau served as a hotel, but I hadn’t realized that there also were tours of the representative spaces. After a steep incline, I approached the two lavish statues of lions that guarded the entrance. The entrance gate seeped with grandeur. Both features hailed from a 19th century renovation.
Czech King Přemysl Otakar II, photo from Turistický denník
I learned about the fascinating history of Zbiroh on the tour. It was built before some time before 1230. In the late 13th century, Czech King Přemysl Otakar II conquered Zbiroh. The Přemysl dynasty of Czech rulers was legendary in the Czech lands. Přemysl Otakar II built many towns, among other accomplishments.
Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, photo from Medieval Histories
In the 1330s, the future Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV gained control of the property. Charles IV would become perhaps the most prominent figure in Czech history. who had controlled the castle after he returned from fighting in France. Charles IV established towns, churches and castles, for instance. He created Prague’s New Town district, what is now called the Charles Bridge and the first university in Prague. He also had Prague’s Saint Vitus’ Cathedral built.
Emperor Sigismund, photo from Quora
During the 14th century, Petr of Rosenberg owned the castle, and it would stay in his family for about 100 years. Emperor Sigismund, the son of Emperor Charles IV, bought the castle from the Rosenbergs during the 15th century. Other famous royal dynasties would take over the chateau from the time of the Hussite wars in the 15th century – first the Kolowrats, then the Lobkowiczes, then the Sternbergs. During the Hussite wars of the 15th century, Zbiroh was not damaged, a fate that did not behold many other Czech monuments.
Emperor Rudolf II, photo from Kalendar.beda.cz
Emperor Rudolf II as Vertumnus, painted by Arcimboldo, photo from Heureka.cz
At the end of the 16th century, Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II acquired Zbiroh, and he would have a momentous effect on the castle’s history. Emperor Rudolf II had made Prague the center of the Habsburg monarchy. A lover of art, Rudolf II bought many paintings, and, thanks to him, Prague flourish as a cultural center. He made many changes to the Gothic castle, transforming it into a Renaissance chateau. He liked to hunt on the property.
However, this golden age would come to an end. After the Battle of White Mountain, which the Catholics won against the Protestants in November of 1620, the castle was turned into a prison for the defeated soldiers. During the Thirty Years’ War, Swedish troops damaged and pillaged the chateau Until the middle of the 19th century, the chateau was dilapidated.
Baron Henry Bethel Strousberg and family, photo from Epochplus.cz
That’s when European entrepreneur Baron Henry Bethel Strousberg came along. He made a name for himself throughout Europe as the owner of iron and coal mines, factories and property, among other things. After he purchased the chateau, he made it a representative seat and modernized it. He envisioned making Zbiroh an industrial center focusing on extracting iron ore and wood coal. However, the ore had phosphorous in it, and the project, thankfully, had to be abandoned. Baron Strousberg wound up going bankrupt. He fled to Russia, where he was incarcerated for two years. Then Strousberg went back to Berlin. His family fled to London. The once influential and wealthy Strousberg called an attic flat owned by his former cook home. He died there, penniless.
The lavish arch built during Strousberg’s tenure at Zbiroh
The next owner of the chateau was Duke Joseph Coloredo-Mansfeld. He rented it to legendary Art Nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha. While residing at Zbiroh, Mucha created some of his most important paintings, such as the 20 Slav Epic depictions that celebrate Slav identity.
View from the terrace at Zbiroh
The Mansfelds hung onto the chateau until the Nazis came and turned the place into a SS headquarters. At the end of the war, the Nazis hid their secret documents in the bottom of the chateau’s well – at 163 meters it was the deepest in Europe. Then they covered it with a metal plate at the 150-meter mark so that their documents would be difficult to retrieve.
View of Zbiroh from postcard
The Czechoslovak army took control after the war, in 1945. Zbiroh was taken off the map as a top-secret facility was placed there. Czechoslovakia gathered information about NATO armies. The soldiers did not take care of the chateau. They even used the unique well as an ashtray. The army didn’t leave until 2004, when a private company bought the chateau and Zbiroh was put back on the map. It was open to the public in 2005. Zbiroh’s history is also connected to the Teutonic Knights as the current owner is a member.
The tour was fascinating. In the first room I liked the collection of African masks on the wall. Remnants of some of the documents the Nazis had tried to destroy in the well were on display in another space. My favorite artifacts were the Madonna statues dotting the representative rooms, some hailing as far back as the Romanesque and Gothic eras. A 650-year old Madonna was the most valuable artifact in the chateau. The Christ child appeared jovial and curious while the Virgin Mary looked like a proud mother. In a Late Gothic Virgin Mary sculpture from the 15th century, the Christ Child was smiling, about to break out in laughter. The Virgin Mary donned an elegant, simple crown. An ivory statue of Saint Nickolas also caught my attention. It hailed from the 14th century.
I saw a masterfully carved 13th century Romanesque chest, too. Chamber tiles from the 15th century showed Saint George battling the dragon. I saw many copies of works by Leonardo DaVinci, including the Mona Lisa, a self-portrait of the painter and a portrait of Mary Magdalene. Even though they were reproductions, these paintings were very impressive. A life-size carving of Saint Vitus from the 18th century was another delight.
On the lavish dining room table gilded silverware hailed from the era of Empress Maria Theresa. The napkins were shaped in the form of a lily, a royal symbol. I also saw a detailed map of Bohemia from 1702. The Empire furnishings bought in the mid-19th century were ravishing, too.
Alphonse Mucha created posters for actress Sarah Bernhardt and achieved worldwide acclaim. Photo taken at Mucha exhibition in Wallenstein Riding Stables, 2022.
Mucha’s Rooms were another highlight. I had been a fan of Mucha’s Art Nouveau works for a long time. I had visited the Mucha Museum in Prague and only months before this visit, I had seen the comprehensive Mucha exhibition in the Wallenstein Riding Stables in Prague. In these spaces, I saw a portrait of Mucha featuring Masonic symbols because he had been a Mason. Also, Masonic medals owned by Mucha were on display. I was entranced by Mucha’s historical painting “Master John of Rokycany at the Council of Basel” from 1933. On one wall, Mucha’s students had painted female figures in their teacher’s style.
From Mucha’s Slav Epic paintings, photo taken at Mucha exhibition in Wallenstein Riding Stables, 2022.
The ballroom was the most beautiful space. This was once Mucha’s studio while the balcony had served as a dark room for his photographs. The large room was built in the second half of the 19th century. It featured a skylight with glazed glass and two elegant crystal chandeliers. I spotted Zbiroh Chateau behind what looked like blue mist in a painting by Mucha. The yellow, blue and red decorative wall painting enthralled me as well.
Another masterpiece by Alphonse Mucha, photo taken at Mucha exhibition at Wallenstein Riding Stables, Prague, 2022
Then we walked down a long hallway with Renaissance, Gothic and Baroque tapestries and armors of knights from various eras. As the tour ended, I was very glad I had finally discovered this gem. The history of the chateau was riveting, and the artifacts in the representative spaces were amazing.
It was time to get something to eat. In the parking lot, I noticed the beech trees that surrounded the chateau and listened to the sound of silence. It was so quiet and tranquil, such a relief from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
Tracy A. Burns is a writer, editor and proofreader in Prague.
Milan Duomo, one of the highlights of my year of travels
This past year was punctuated by trips to riveting sights in the Czech Republic and Italy. As usual, I went castlehopping on day trips during the spring, summer and fall. My jaunts took me to Sychrov, Mělník, Konopiště and Maleč, to name a few. I visited the former flat of a legendary 19th century historian called The Father of the Nation and his son-in-law, a politician nicknamed The Leader of the Nation. I also visited their chateau out of Prague. I toured the exhibition at the Strž Villa, where Karel Čapek and his wife Olga Scheinpflugová spent three years and three months in the 1930s.
Exterior of Milan Cathedral
I also enjoyed a week in what is probably my favorite Italian city, Milan, where I saw the most amazing art galleries and stunning architecture. From the Duomo to the Church of Saint Maurizio to the Poldi Pezzoli Gallery to the Ambrosiana to The Last Supper, I was overwhelmed by the incredible artistic creations the city had to offer.
The Last Supper, displayed in Milan
While I did not visit many temporary art exhibitions this past year, the ones I did go to left very positive and powerful impressions. I was lucky to be able to buy tickets for the Titian and Sorella exhibitions in Milan, both so comprehensive and exhilarating. I loved the way Titian masterfully created the material of his models’ clothing; it looked so real. You can almost feel the material just by looking at it. I loved Sorella’s beach scenes and landscapes. I had visited his former home, now a museum, in Madrid, so I was familiar with his work.
From the Kooperativa exhibition
In Prague I went to a few exhibitions. I saw a show at the Kooperativa featuring the theme of water in 19th and 20th century Czech landscapes. Artists such as Julius Mařák, Antonín Hudeček, Václav Špála and Josef Čapek were represented there. My favorite was a tranquil, snowy scene, seemingly out of a Bruegel painting. Čapek’s portrayal of two fishermen also captured my attention. Mařák’s forest landscapes were mystical and magical.
From the East Bohemian Gallery in Pardubice
I also went to Pardubice, where I was immersed in the 19th and 20th century Czech landscape painting at the East Bohemian Art Gallery. The works of Jan Zrzavý, Hudeček, Antonín Slavíček, Antonin Chittussi and Špála all captivated me.
By Peter Paul Rubens from the Prague Castle Gallery
I also saw the temporary exhibition of the Prague Castle Gallery’s permanent collection that had been started by Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II. I learned about the history of the collection, which was fascinating, and I saw masterpieces by Peter Paul Rubens, Paolo Veronese and many others.
By Alphonse Mucha
Copy of stained-glass window at St. Vitus’ Cathedral in Prague, created by Alphonse Mucha
I was enamored by the exhibition of Alphonse Mucha’s art in Mucha: The Family Collection at the Wallenstein Riding Stables. While Mucha is best known for his posters featuring Sarah Bernhardt, this exhibition also highlighted his drawings, paintings, sculptures, photos and jewelry. Some works were on display for the first time. I especially loved the reproductions of his stained-glass windows for Saint Vitus’ Cathedral in Prague.
Jan Werich
From furnished rooms at Werich Villa
About my day trips: Let’s start in Prague. This year I visited the Werich Villa exhibition for the first time. Located on Prague’s Kampa Island, the villa was the home of actor Jan Werich from 1945 until his death in 1980. I liked the photos from the avant-garde plays of the Liberated Theatre best. The dramatic creations from the 1920s and 1930s were parodies of Dadaistic absurdity inspired by Charlie Chaplin and punctuated by jazz music. I also was captivated by the two rooms made to look as they did when Werich had lived there. Everything from the abstract painting of him and his colleague as actors at the Liberated Theatre to the Ballantine bottle of gin made me feel as if I got a sense of the atmosphere that had prevailed during the decades Werich had lived there.
The legendary Golem in the movie by the same name. Werich starred in the film.
Jan Werich and Jiří Voskovec at the Liberated Theatre
I visited the former flat of the first Czech historian František Palacký on Palacký Street in the city center for the first time in many years. I tried to imagine the bubbling conversations in the 19th century living room as the leaders of the Czech National Revival, who were promoting the Czech language and Czech culture, gathered there with Palacký’s family. I saw the desk where Palacký wrote his History of the Czech Nation as well as intriguing sculptures, paintings and portraits. The guide pointed at a box and told me that Palacký’s brain was inside. I wish the guide would have opened it!
Bust of František Palacký at Maleč Chateau
Bust of F.L. Rieger at Maleč Chateau
His son-in-law František Ladislav Rieger, who organized the first Czech encyclopedia and led a powerful political party, also lived at that address with his family as he had married Palacký’s daughter Marie. I saw the desk where he had labored over the encyclopedia volumes and paintings of his modest birthplace. I also saw the beds in which Palacký and Rieger died.
Piano that was often played by Antonín Dvořák
Funeral of F.L. Rieger
The Main Hall where the leaders of the Czech National Revival often gathered
Then I visited Maleč Chateau outside of Prague, a place where Palacký and Rieger had spent much time. The chateau hosted an exhibition about the two and the time periods in which they lived. There, I saw pictures of visiting Americans from Cleveland and Chicago gathered outside Palacký’s flat in Prague and another showing an American group at the chateau. I liked the portrait of Rieger by František Ženíšek and the piano once played by Antonín Dvořák, a frequent visitor to the chateau. The personalities of the Czech National Revival had once gathered in the main hall, which featured an exquisite chandelier, Renaissance stucco decoration and frescoes depicting landscapes. While looking at the picture of Rieger’s crowded funeral procession, I felt as if I was there among the masses dressed in black, mourning a national figure.
Konopiště Chateau
In the spring I took the third tour at Konopiště Chateau, a place I had visited at least eight or nine times. I hadn’t been on the tour of Franz Ferdinand d’Este’s private apartments for many years. I loved the portraits lining one hallway. The historical figures included Dante Alighieri, Titian and Christopher Columbus. In one room there were 1,307 hunting trophies. I enjoyed seeing the family’s photos from their travels in the late 19th and early 20th century.
View from Konopiště Chateau
We briefly visited the chapel, perhaps my favorite of all Czech chateaus with its gold stars dotting the blue ceiling, stained glass windows and Renaissance sculptures. Near the end of the tour, I was reminded of that tragic day in June of 1914, when Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo, an event that triggered the first world war. I saw a bloodied handkerchief, one of the bullets from Gavrilo Princip’s pistol and the death masks of the royal married couple.
Arcades of Mělnik Chateau
At Mělnik Chateau I was once again overcome with amazement when I peered at detailed 17th century maps of European cities in the Big Hall and the small 18th century black-and-white vedutas of European cities in the Small Hall. The artwork at Mělnik was incredible. I saw paintings by Baroque legendary artists Karel Škréta and Petr Brandl and even a painting by Veronese. I yearned to show this chateau to my parents.
Front page of Lidové noviny announcing Karel Čapek’s death
Karel Čapek and his wife Olga Scheinpflugová
I also visited the museum of the legendary and versatile Czech writer Karel Čapek at what once was his villa in Stará huť. At the Strž Villa I saw 3-D diagrams of stage sets from his plays and the desk where he had written many works. The exhibition included photos of his childhood, pictures of his dogs and cat, and the front page of Lidové noviny newspaper with the large, bold headline announcing his death in 1938. Sections of the exhibition were devoted to his wife, a famous actress, and his brother, a prominent painter and writer.
Staircase at Sychrov Chateau
Neo-Gothic facade of Sychrov Chateau
Another chateau I visited for maybe the fourth time was the Neo-Gothic Sychrov in north Bohemia. The Rohan portrait gallery included 242 portraits of French origin, including French kings and queens as well as members of the Rohan family, who owned the chateau for 125 years. It ranks as the biggest collection of French portrait painting in Central Europe. A narrow, spiral, wooden staircase as well as rich wood paneling and leather wallpaper in many rooms also caught my attention.
La Scala Opera House
Finally, this past year I made it to Milan! In this magical city I had so many memorable experiences. I watched some minutes of a rehearsal of Giaconda in the royal box at La Scala Opera House. I finally saw The Last Supper with my own eyes, although we were only allowed to stay in the space for 15 minutes.
Stained-glass window at Milan Cathedral
I gazed at the mostly Gothic exterior of the Duomo at six in the morning, when the square was free of pedestrian traffic. The stained-glass windows inside and the views from the rooftop were other highlights. The artifacts of the Museo del Duomo, including the original stained-glass windows, tapestries and gargoyles, added more context to the tour of the Duomo.
The Basilica of Saint Ambrose
The Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio was one of the most beautiful Romanesque buildings in the world, originating in the fourth century AD and getting its current appearance from a 12th century makeover. The 19th century shopping gallery Galleria Vittorio Emaneuele II with its mosaics on the floor and near the dome was stunning. The bookstore in the shopping gallery was comprehensive and huge, just the way I liked them. I saw impressive vedutas of Milan Cathedral, Alpine scenes and paintings of the Navigli district of Milan as well as sculpture by Antonio Canova in the Gallerie d’Italia.
In the Ambrosiana
The Ambrosiana’s library stunned me. I gazed at the Leonardo da Vinci drawings of inventions in the Codice Atlantico exhibition as well as the library itself, such an overwhelming place. I loved the paintings in the Ambrosiana, too. Leonardo da Vinci’s The Musician, Titian’s Adoration of the Magi, Botticelli’s Madonna del Padiglione, the paintings by Francesco Hayez, Paul Brill’s fantastic landscapes and Jan Bruegel’s fantasy-tinged renditions all impressed me. Caravaggio’s superb depiction of a bowl of fruit was another highlight.
At the Brera Art Gallery
The Brera Art Gallery was another superb cultural venue. I was enthralled with the Italian paintings from the 13th to 20th centuries, including works by Raphael, Andrea Mantegna, Donato Bramante, Titian, Veronese, Caravaggio, Giovanni Bellini and Bernardino Luini. Flemish art also made an appearance. I was overwhelmed by the paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Jacob Jordaens and Anton van Dyck. And who could forget the vedutas of Venice by Canaletto and the famous painting The Kiss by Francesco Hayez?
Museum of the Risorgimento
Around the corner from the Brera, I stopped in the Museo del Risorgimento, which featured 14 rooms of paintings, prints, sculptures and artifacts depicting Italian historical events from the call for Italian independence to the Italian unification. I learned about Napoleon’s reign in Italy as well as the Austrian monarchy’s control of what would later become a unified and independent Italy. I spent a lot of time staring at the photos of soldiers in the Album of the Thousands, the volunteers in the Expedition of the Thousand. Portraits of the 1,089 soldiers in business card format made up this album. I loved the paintings that brought the turbulent era to life, such as those by Stragliati and Canella.
At the Bagatti Valsecchi Museum
While I loved these museums, my two favorites had been former homes, the Museo Bagatti Valsecchi and Museo Poldi Pezzoli, the first located in an apartment, the second situated in a palace. Two brothers collected Renaissance and Neo-Renaissance art – tapestries, paintings, sculpture and weapons – at the end of the 1800s to decorate the interior of their apartment, which would later become the Museo Bagatti Valsecchi. It is one of the best-preserved house museums in Europe. The furnishings were diverse – Italian, British, German, French, Japanese and Spanish, for instance. It had a more intimate feel than the Poldi Pezzoli, though that was an amazing museum as well.
At the Museum of Poldi Pezzoli
The art collection in the Museo Poldi Pezzoli came into existence during the 19th century, when the Poldi Pezzoli noble family lived there. Artists represented there included Giovanni Bellini, Mantegna, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Hayez, Tiepolo and Canaletto as well as Lucas Cranach the Elder. Many Renaissance and Baroque works punctuate the collection. An armory, a glass collection, ceramics and tapestries also make up the superb objects on display.
The Villa Necchi Campiglio in Milan was another highlight. The villa, now a museum, was built from 1932 to 1935 and included an enchanting garden, the first private pool in Milan and second pool in the city plus tennis courts. The exterior is an example of Italian rationalism with a no-frills attitude of simplicity.
A work by Picasso in the Villa Necchi Campiglio
The interior included Art Deco décor. The Smoking Room featured a large Renaissance fireplace while many paintings and much sculpture from Italian artists in the early 1900s dotted the house museum. Paintings by Pablo Picasso, Giorgio de Chirico and Umberto Boccioni come to mind. Parts of the villa also exuded the atmosphere of the 1800s due to a reconstruction. Some 130 works of art hail from this period – Canaletto and Tiepolo were represented. I also saw intriguing ceramics and Chinese porcelain. The spaces themselves were architecturally evocative.
Main altar at the Church of San Maurizio
The interior of the church of San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore was a work of art in itself. Divided into two parts, it included a vaulted nave and vaulted chapels plus the Hall of Nuns. The Renaissance church featured 16th century frescoes by Bernardino Luini, his brothers and his son. On the dividing wall in the Hall of Nuns, I gazed at Bernardino Luini’s creations from the 1530s – the figures of Saint Catherine and Saint Agatha as well as scenes from the Marriage at Cana and the Carrying of the Cross of Christ. I also saw his frescoes showing the life of Saint Maurizio. In one chapel Bernardino Luini rendered the martyrdom of Saint Catherine of Alexandria. The main altar with the painting of the Adoration of the Magi by Antonio Campi took my breath away, too.
The Last Supper
At long last I saw The Last Supper in the refectory of the Santa Maria delle Grazie Church. It was a dream come true. The moment following Christ’s assertion that one of those seated at the table would betray him was masterfully portrayed. The facial expressions and body language are works of art in themselves. As Christ utters those immortal words, all the dinner guests look riddled with horror except Judas, who clutches his silver ever so tightly. Even though we were only allowed to be in the room for 15 minutes, I was overcome with amazement at the Renaissance fresco in front of me. It told a complex story so clearly. I was in awe of those gestures and facial expressions.
Gallerie d’Italia in Milan
In the Czech Republic, I had mostly traveled to places I had been before, except for Maleč Chateau, the Strž Villa and the Werich Villa. I saw Milan for the first time, though the trip had been planned and cancelled during two years. I was in awe of the sights I rediscovered and those I experienced for the first time. The visits were eye-opening as I learned new information about Czech and Italian history and culture. The exhibitions of painting, sculpture and more also proved poignant and powerful.
Tracy A. Burns is a proofreader, writer and editor in Prague.
I hadn’t been to Veltrusy since 1992 even though it was a mere 25 kilometers from Prague. I had been hoping to see the Baroque chateau again in 2001, but then that year the floods did major damage to the structure and the vast park. Reconstruction took 19 years. The chateau and park reopened with a flourish in July of 2021. I finally had a chance to visit during May of 2022.
The chateau was built in High Baroque style during the first half of the 18th century by František Maxmilián Kaňka as a summer residence for Václav Antonín Chotek, whose family would own the chateau until it was nationalized in 1945. Prague native of Italian origin Giovanni Battista Alliprandi worked magic on the chateau, too. In the courtyard I saw the Baroque statues by an unknown sculptor from the workshop of Matyáš Bernard Braun – some showed the months of the year, others were allegories of the four seasons. It was no coincidence that I thought of Braun’s statues of vices and virtues at the former hospital, Kuks. Inspired by Viennese architecture, Alliprandi had designed the east Bohemian jewel Kuks, although many of his projects had been built in Prague. I recalled that Alliprandi had designed Opočno Chateau, too. I hoped to set my eyes upon the elegant arcades of Opočno again sometime soon.
The interior did not disappoint. Both tours started off in the grotto with its exquisite painting of people and animals. Then we proceeded to the main hall with its stunning ceiling fresco and large portraits. One of the two monumental fireplaces in the room was artificial. One of the two elegant balustrades was also fake, though it was difficult to tell.
Rudolf Chotek, who had inherited the chateau from his father Václav Antonín, had worked for Empress Maria Theresa who spent a night in this chateau. This was a rare event because she usually stayed at Prague Castle or in a building the Habsburgs owned when she traveled. Her elegant bedroom was on display. Portraits throughout the chateau paid homage to the long-time ruler. Maria Theresa had come to Veltrusy for the trade fair, the first of its kind in the world. This large event took up space from the parking lot through the chateau grounds and promoted Czech manufactured goods. The empress was so impressed that she awarded Rudolf the Order of the Golden Fleece.
The first tour displayed mostly Baroque and Rococo styles. The tiled stoves were beautiful, especially one decorated with the body of a white serpent. What I liked best was the Chinese wallpaper that adorned a room. I also was impressed with other wallpaper that displayed red, blue and yellow designs as well as green foliage on a white background.
During the second tour we saw private rooms of the owner Jindřich Chotek and his family from the early and mid-19th century. Some décor harkened from the Renaissance era, too. Another highlight of my visit was looking at the paintings of Venice. I loved Italy, and the paintings brought back memories of my trip to Venice in 2005, when I wandered the romantic streets early one Sunday morning, practically having the city to myself. Some black-and-white etchings also captured my undivided attention.
We walked through the idyllic park, which is one of the oldest in Europe. At one time, boats had floated down a canal that had gone through the park. By the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, the condition of the park and chateau had deteriorated. Now it has been revitalized, dotted with four Classicist and Empire style pavilions, many statues and rare wooded species. Forests, meadows, gardens and fields all made up the park that spans 300 hectares.
After a delicious lunch at the chateau restaurant, we made the short trip back to Prague.
Tracy A. Burns is a writer, editor and proofreader in Prague.
It was my first visit to Chudenice. The first thing that caught my attention was the tranquility of the village. It was truly peaceful there. I felt calm in a way I was not able to feel in a busy metropolis.
I took a good look at the exterior of the chateau. One section was beautiful while another was in a dilapidated state. I thought of Nebílovy Chateau near Pilsen and how that chateau badly needed money to restore the façade of one of the buildings.
Actors in the plays Kvapil worked on.Kvapil directed this Shakespearian classic at the Vinohrady Theatre.
We went inside. First, we visited a museum dedicated, in part, to Chudenice native Jaroslav Kvapil, who had been a poet, playwright, translator, dramaturg and director. The museum also showcased other Chudenice natives and village life. Kvapil worked with the National Theatre and Vinohrady Theatre for many years. In 1901 he wrote the libretto for Antonín Dvořák’s opera Rusalka. He was involved in the resistance during World War I as he supported the creation of an independent Czechoslovakia. During World War II, he founded an organization of resisters. Then the Nazis learned of the existence of his group. Kvapil was imprisoned for 11 months. When the Communists were taking control in 1948, he signed a petition, attempting to save democracy in Czechoslovakia. He died in 1950 and is buried in Chudenice.
Artwork also made up part of the museum.Part of the museum dealt with village life in the past.A mill from centuries past.
Kvapil’s career was impressive indeed. From 1893 to 1937, he directed or co-directed 205 plays at the National Theatre. Later, he took up a position with the Vinohrady Theatre. Plays by Jaroslav Vrchlický, Alois Jirásek, the Čapek brothers, William Shakespeare and Henrik Ibsen, for example, were staged under his guidance. In the small museum, I saw family photos, posters of the plays he worked on and his typewriter, for instance. I hadn’t known much about him before visiting the museum, even though I had taken a great interest in Czech theatre over the years.
At first I thought this figure was real. An old machine used to make honey
Soon the tour began. The guide told us about the history of the chateau and town, which had been connected to the Černín family since the end of the 13th century when Drslav from Chudenice took possession of the village. A Gothic fortress originated in the 14th century. The first time the chateau was mentioned in writing occurred during 1603, after Humprecht Černín died, when his property was divided between his two sons, Jindřich and Adam, who got control of the chateau.
Even though Adam was Catholic, he sided with the nobles in the uprising of the Protestant nobility against the Catholics. Catholicism was the official religion of the Habsburg Empire, controlled by the Germans. Adam was punished for his involvement. Soon afterwards, he died, and his widow Johanka from Loksan and five children lived there. Jindřich took control of the chateau until 1629. During the Thirty Years’ War, there were periods when the chateau was filled with soldiers.
The chateau was transformed into Baroque style during 1776 and now has a Classicist appearance. After World War II, it was nationalized, and the Forest Institute took control. In 1948 the town took over, and the chateau served various functions. At one time, it included a movie theatre, library and Socialist Youth Union club. There had been apartments here, too. Later the Museum of Josef Dobrovský opened on the site, named after the historian because he had spent some time there. We even saw the bedroom where Dobrovský had slept. In 2009 the Černín family moved back to Chudenice and now live in the other chateau in the town, the Empire style Lázeň, which they are reconstructing along with its English park. The guide said the Černíns often visit Chudenice Chateau and even give private tours on weekends.
The most intriguing space was the Angel’s Room, which was connected to a legend about Humprecht Černín, who worked as an imperial advisor to Emperor Rudolf II and caretaker of Prague Castle. He was also a knight of the Golden Fleece. One night during 1601, when Humprecht was 76 years old, an angel came to him and told him he would die within three days. The angel directed him to have a mass in Wolfgang Chapel above Chudenice. The prediction came true.
Now there is a fresco of a red-clad angel with silver wings on the arched ceiling. I also liked the part of another ceiling that was painted in Art Nouveau style. The porcelain in the Oriental Salon was exquisite. An Empire clock stood out as well. The Hunting Salon showcased paintings of dogs and a green tiled stove plus trophies from forests near Chudenice. There were noteworthy paintings and graphic works on display, too. A blue porcelain peacock was impressive. Some unique chandeliers were exquisite, and one Classicist tiled stove captured my attention. Old shooting targets were painted with intriguing bullet-ridden scenes. Still, I would occasionally notice that a piece of furniture needed to be repaired– for example, the upholstery of some chairs was in need of restoration. The chateau just didn’t have the finances at this point.
The portraits and photos of the family gave the chateau an intimate feel. The Černíns had made a name for themselves in Czech history, to be sure. I recalled that a famous palace in Prague, now the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was named after the Černín family, specifically after Humprecht Jan, who had it built. An employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had showed me around the building, and I was particularly interested in the window out of which Jan Masaryk was pushed to his death by the Communists. Jan Masaryk, the son of son of the founder of Czechoslovakia, Tomáš G. Masaryk, had been pushed out the window by the Communists after the coup of 1948, on March 10th of that year. He had refused to resign as minister after the Communist coup. Humprecht Jan also had constructed the small chateau Humprecht near Kost Castle in the Czech Paradise. I mused that I hadn’t been there since the late 1990s or earlier.
Humprecht Jan was the most prominent member of the Černín family. The imperial count had made a name for himself as a diplomat, serving as ambassador to Venice for three years and serving Habsburg Leopold I for many years. He had inherited much property in the Czech lands, including Kost Castle, Krásný Dvůr Chateau and Mělník, all of which I had visited. While working for Czech and Austrian King Leopold I, Humprecht Jan became good friends with the Habsburg leader and even was present at Leopold I’s coronation as Roman Emperor in Frankfurt. He was a secret advisor to Leopold I and in 1675 was honored as a recipient of the distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece. He also purchased territory in Lnáře that year. I remembered Lnáře fondly as I had not only toured the chateau with its stunning frescoes but had also visited its Cat Museum, where I admired many feline-related artifacts.
Part of the Secession decoration on a ceiling
While stationed in Venice, Humprecht Jan had developed an art collection. By 1663, he owned about 300 paintings. After building Černín Palace in the 1660s, he made part of the palace into a gallery for his paintings. (Unfortunately, under his heirs the collection became dilapidated due to a lack of finances.) Humprecht Jan died when he was only 54 years old. He is buried in Černín Chapel at Prague’s St. Vitus Cathedral.
A shooting target
After the tour, we went to the only restaurant in the village, where there were two entrees left on the menu at 2:30 in the afternoon. We had a tasty lunch. I noticed the peace and quiet, the calmness that pervaded in the village. It was wonderful to experience such tranquility in a world that can be so chaotic and troubling.
Tracy A. Burns is a writer, editor and proofreader in Prague.
The moment I saw a picture of this majestic and riveting chateau dramatically perched on a cliff, I knew I had to go see it with my own eyes. A snapshot of Děčín Chateau adorned the cover of a guide to Czechoslovakia, a publication I had picked up at the many Prague bookstores I regularly visited. On a whim, during Easter Sunday of 1992, I took the train to Děčín. It was cold and raining. The chateau was closed as it was still under reconstruction, being transformed into a tourist spot from soldiers’ barracks. However, I was able to walk through the rose garden that dreary day, and I was determined to come back.
I did return, several times. My last visit took place during the pandemic, in 2021. By then, I had thoroughly familiarized myself with the history of the chateau. A Gothic castle had been located there as of the second half of the 13th century. Until 1511, the well-renowned Vartenberk clan had owned it. However, during the Hussite wars, in 1444, the structure was conquered and razed. It was rebuilt, and during the second half of the 16th century, the Knights of Bunau transformed the castle into a Renaissance chateau.
The Thun-Hohenstein clan’s tenure as owners of the chateau lasted from1628 to 1932. Hailing from south Tyrol, the Thun-Hohensteins had made a name for themselves in politics and religion. They were also responsible for renovating the chateau on two occasions. The first time, at the end of the 17th century, owner Maxmilián Thun, an ambassador and diplomat, gave the chateau a High Baroque makeover.
He also had the Long Drive built. This was a steep, Baroque driveway that measured 270 meters long and 9 meters wide. The walls surrounding it were seven meters high. Blind arcades with 64 columns added to the elegance of the approach to the chateau. On one side there was the rose garden with a gloriette and statues of mythological gods as well as a sala terrena. The last major renovation took place from 1783 to 1803 in Baroque-Classicist style, which gave the chateau its current appearance.
During the middle of the 18th century, a comprehensive library was founded. Czech writers and historians František Palacký and Josef Dobrovský came there to do research. At that time, it had held 90,000 books and had taken up the biggest room. Now this room is adorned with the elegant Czech crystal chandeliers and is used for celebrations. During the Soviet army’s tenure, a gym had been located there. At present, the library is housed in a smaller room. Because no one wanted to buy the complete library, the Thun-Hohenstein family had to sell books by the pound, and many museums acquired the volumes. Only about 4,500 books have been returned to the chateau.
During the 19th century, Děčín Chateau blossomed culturally and politically. Frédéric Chopin paid a visit in September of 1835. The Thuns had met him previously in Paris. All their children played the piano. Chopin even wrote a waltz dedicated to Děčín – waltz As-dur op. 34 no. 1. Holy Roman Emperor Franz Joseph I and his wife “Sissy” came to town in 1854, three weeks after they were married.
Later, Archduke Franz Ferdinand d’Este would become a frequent visitor because he was friends with František and Jaroslav Thun. Jaroslav married Marie Chotek while Franz Ferdinand married Maria’s sister, Sophie Chotek. Franz Ferdinand had met Sophie at a ball when she was lady-in-waiting to Archduchess Isabela. The two were smitten. They kept their relationship a secret for two years because she was not considered worthy of marrying an archduke. No one in her family had been descended from any European ruling dynasty. Finally, they did get married, but Emperor Franz Joseph I made some conditions. Their children could never be heirs to the throne. Sophie was not allowed in the royal carriage or royal box. In fact, Ferdinand d’Este’s three children lived at Děčín for a while after their parents were assassinated at Sarajevo in June of 1914. The children’s aunt had married a member of the Thun-Hohenstein family.
Inspired by a trip to England, František Thun, who promoted sporting activities, brought the rules of tennis to the Czech lands in 1911. Another interesting tidbit is that Miroslav Tyrš, the co-founder of the Sokol gymnastics movement, was born at the chateau because his father worked there as a doctor. He would live there for four years. Many Czech patriots took part in the Sokol organization that was created in 1862. The following year, more than 2,000 Czechs belonged to Sokol. Besides doing sports, the association offered lectures and field trips, for instance. Tyrš was not only known as a leader in Czech sports. He was an acclaimed art historian and university professor.
Unfortunately, in 1933, the Thuns had to sell the chateau, hindered by a high inheritance tax and other financial troubles. That year, the Czechoslovak army took control of the chateau. The Thun-Hohensteins moved to a nearby town called Jílové and eventually to Vienna. When this property was located in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, the chateau came into the hands of the Nazis. German soldiers lived there. Then the Czechoslovak military once again called the chateau home. From 1968 to 1991, the Soviet army occupied it. In March of 1991, the last Soviet soldier left. That year it was sold to the city of Děčín.
Astounded by the two tours of the chateau, I particularly liked the Blue Hall with its two exquisitely painted blue walls depicting classical landscapes. In the foreground I saw people doing various activities, such as rowing boats. Trees and temples dotted the idyllic landscape. I was amazed that the wall painting had only been uncovered during a renovation in 2001. This space had once been a dining room, and the flooring was original.
At the beginning of the tour, I saw Egyptian drapes that were 3,000 years old. Some puppets in a children’s room hailed from 1906. A historic painting of Děčín showed the same streets that are in the town today.
In past centuries, the tower room served as a tranquil place for tea, coffee or meals. The view from the tower, at the confluence of two rivers, was spectacular. I could see the rough-hewn cliffs and the zoo from there. Tourists often climbed the cliffs or went boating to nearby Germany.
A painting of the Thun family tree weighed 150 kilograms and showed the origins of the clan. The Floral Salon with blue flowers painted on the walls had been the bedroom for Franz Ferdinand d’Este’s children.
I saw a short, wooden bed where ladies had once slept. In centuries past, women had slept half-seated because they feared that they would die if they lay down. Also, it was easier this way to keep their hairstyles looking good.
Paintings punctuated the chateau’s décor. One disturbing work showed the building with boars killing dogs in the foreground. At weddings in past centuries, guests had entertained themselves by watching such gruesome events. I noticed the paintings of the town by Karel Graff, whose 26 renditions of Děčín were exquisite. I especially liked a painting of an Italian market by Francesco Bassano. It triggered memories of my many trips to Italy, a place I longed to visit again. I was hesitant to travel there during the pandemic. Another unique and dramatic painting called “Cross in the Mountains” depicted Christ on the Cross with a background of cliffs dotted by evergreens adding vibrancy to the work. I saw other black-and-white paintings of scenes from the Battle of Waterloo. The last room we visited was the elegant Baroque Chapel of Saint George with a main altar featuring a painting of this saint. Exquisite tiled stoves dotted the numerous rooms.
My friend and I left Děčín that day enamored by the two tours that had given a comprehensive and detailed look at the vast chateau’s interiors and exteriors. We were hungry, but we didn’t find a restaurant in Děčín, so we went by car to Ústí nad Labem, another city in north Bohemia. We wound up parking near the center, around the block from an establishment whose sign just read “Restaurant.” In a nook at the back of the restaurant where only locals were seated, I ate one of the best hamburgers I ever had. It was proof once more that one did not need to go to an expensive, modern restaurant to find excellent food in the country. I loved discovering local eateries that catered to people living in the respective towns. It was always a delight to have a delicious lunch after a remarkable visit to a Czech chateau. Then we headed back to Prague.
Tracy A. Burns is an editor, writer and proofreader in Prague.
Tracy's Travels 