Tag Archives: fresco

Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou Chateau Diary

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The first time I visited this chateau in Moravia, back in the late 1990s, it had been an adventure to get there. The train broke down just as it was nearing the town. All the passengers had to disembark. It was too far to walk there. I happened to see a taxi, rare in those parts, driving by the main street, and I flagged it down. After a short ride, I came upon the large Baroque chateau, one of the biggest in the country. I was amazed at its beauty and elegance. When I visited the chateau for the second time during 2025, on a tour bus, the ride was thankfully sans adventure. Walking toward the main entrance, I was just as fascinated as I had been during my first visit so many decades earlier.

The stunning chateau began as a medieval fortress. The Meziříčtí family of Lomnice transformed the structure into a Renaissance castle during the early 17th century. This clan fought for the Protestants in the Czech Estates Uprising, and, when the Protestant nobles lost, the chateau was given to Gerhard of Questenberk. He died in 1646.

His grandson, Count Jan Adam of Questenberk, would be responsible for the major reconstruction in 1700, and his name would forever be connected to the glory days of the chateau’s existence. After extensive travel throughout Europe, Count Jan Adam decided to call Jaroměřice his home. He was fascinated by the Baroque style and was determined to make his chateau a Baroque gem. Reconstruction ended in 1737.

Dance Hall fresco

Jan Adam loved the arts, particularly music and theatre. The chateau became a bustling center for these passions. He created a theatre group in Jaroměřice, and musical concerts as well as operas were performed there, too. Children’s plays also made up the repertoire. Italian operas were the count’s favorites. Masterfully made Baroque theatre sets were utilized as well as elaborate costumes. A large theatre came into existence from 1731 to 1739. Music and theatre came alive in stellar performances on this stage.

Dance Hall

However, when Jan Adam died in 1752, his widow did not continue the music and theatre traditions of her late husband. The glory days were gone. With Jan Adam’s death, the Questenberk lineage also ended.

Several families controlled the chateau after Questenberk’s passing, but no major changes were made. The chateau today is a testament to Jan Adam’s dedication to architectural elegance as it is punctuated by charming and astounding spaces.

Ancestral Hall ceiling fresco

The rooms that impressed me the most were the Ancestral Hall, the Dance Hall, the small but intricate Chinese Salon and the last place on the tour, the amazing Salla Terrana with adjacent Roman baths.

The grotto

What I noticed first in the Ancestral Hall was the masterful wooden panels on the wall, Baroque in style. The colossal portraits filled me with awe. The Corinthian pilasters added to the elegance. However, the best part about this space was above me: the ceiling fresco focused on allegorical figures in a pictorial narration of the founding of the town. Olympian gods, including goddess of the hunt Diana and god of time Chronos, surrounded Prince Jaromír on his hunt. Passions of the count were depicted as allegories of theatre and music. Gods also represented the four seasons.

Dance Hall

The light and airy Dance Hall fascinated me with its fresco decor. The grotesque made appearances on the walls and ceilings in an early Rococo creation from the 1730s. The fresco took my breath away as I almost became dizzy with emotion.

Chinese Salon

It wasn’t possible to go into the Chinese Salon. I could only peer at it behind a rope. Still, I could tell that it was very elaborate and elegant. Various colored woods made up the flooring. The walls were richly decorated, and gold carvings gave it an opulent feeling. I also saw Oriental vases and a gold-and-red large frame of a mirror. The red and gold colors appealed to me.

Chinese Salon

The Sala Terrana was the last space on the tour. The green-and-white ceiling decoration, plants and busts made for a stunning and vibrant atmosphere. The walls included masterful illusory paintings of a plant-filled pergola. I found the light green color that dominated the space to be soothing and tranquil. I considered this to be a place where I could truly relax.

Grotto

The Roman baths also captured my interest. On the walls around the wooden pool was plaster inlaid with shells and lava. Medallions showed portraits of fictional Roman emperors. The decoration was captivating.

Grotto

There was more, much more. The Blue Salon, utilized as a picture gallery, included some Baroque landscapes, my favorites. Impressive Dutch, German and French painters from the 17th to 19th centuries were represented.

Grotto

The Ladies’ Salon was decorated with yellow furniture that reminded me of the yellow kitchen in the townhouse where I spent my childhood and part of my adulthood. I had many light-hearted as well as serious conversations with my mother in that kitchen while I grew up from a five-year old to an adult. My mother doesn’t live there anymore. I can never go back to that yellow kitchen.

Grotto

The Count’s Study featured allegories of countries represented in four large late Renaissance paintings. No less than three salons in Empire and Biedermeier styles represented Jan Adam’s love of music with collections of astounding musical instruments used during the Baroque era.

Dance Hall

The chateau gardens were just as splendid, even though on this day there were spattering of rain. Of course, the gardens were Baroque. A theatre made from nature was situated on an island with an English park, and there were French style gardens, too. Altogether, the gardens measured 10 hectares. Statues from the 1730s depicted ancient deities.

Roman baths

I was enthralled by everything, most of all by the Ancestral Hall, Chinese Salon, Dance Hall and Sala Terrana with Roman baths. I didn’t do much exploring in the gardens due to the temperamental weather.

Next on the itinerary was the Church of Saint Markéta, another gem that would bring me immense joy.

Tracy A. Burns is a writer and teacher in Prague.

Nebílovy Chateau Diary

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We approached the yellow-and-white Baroque chateau that was located about 16 kilometers south of Pilsen. Nebílovy had two horseshoe-shaped sections, a front and a back wing. The front part of the chateau boasted a beautiful yellow exterior. However, the outside of the back chateau was in bad condition. When my friend saw the back wing, she asked me if the chateau was open.

Because this was my second visit, I was able to explain to my friend that the building in the back sported some beautiful interiors of representative rooms, including a dazzling dancing hall and an impressive chapel. Unfortunately, finances had not yet permitted the exterior of the back wing to be restored. Many rooms in the back wing had to be renovated, and it would take a long time. Czech chateaus and castles just didn’t have the money to do repairs quickly. I wished I was a billionaire and could donate money to cats and the restoration of chateaus and castles in the Czech Republic. Alas, this was not to be.

I was familiar with the history of Nebílovy. The chateau came into existence during 1706 thanks to Count Adam Jindřich from Steinau, who had it built for residential purposes. The Viennese architect who made this possible was Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt. Count Adam Jindřich would be a major player in the chateau’s history. He had made a name for himself as imperial general and field marshal of the Venetian Republic. However, Adam Jindřich passed away in 1712, before construction was completed.

Then Nebílovy was sold to the Černín family, and construction was finished before 1720.  Count Vojtěch Černín from Chudenice, an accomplished hunter, had it reconstructed in the late 18th century, when master artist Antonie Tuvora painted the interiors. Unfortunately, most of his painting had not survived. It was still visible, though, in the 18th century Dancing Hall due to a lengthy and complicated restoration process.

The Wallenstein-Vartemberk clan then had possession of the chateau, but they lived at Kozel Chateau nearby. I had visited Kozel with its one-floor unique architectural style several times. Later, Nebílovy became decrepit and would remain in bad condition for 100 years. From 1816 it was no longer inhabited. It was used for agricultural purposes. After World War I, parts of the property were divided into plots and sold. Restoration didn’t start until 1968, when the state got control. It was open to the public in 1998.

We walked through the park, which had many flower arrangements and an intriguing fountain. One side was fenced off. Sheep, rams and goats called that part home.

Soon it was time for the tour of the front and back wings. Even the hallway of the front wing was impressive with its delightful paintings of herbal flowers. I especially liked one painting near the beginning of the tour – it showed two hamsters eating grapes. I hadn’t seen many hamsters in paintings in chateaus.

One feature I loved during the tour was the presence of impressive Venetian chandeliers. The Oriental porcelain and furnishings also captured my attention. The porcelain in general was also worth praising, especially the Meissen works. An avid tea drinker, I especially liked a white tea cup decorated with painting of ivy and red flowers. It had a cheery, Christmasy feel. I loved Christmas Eve. It was my favorite holiday. Another piece that interested me was a blue porcelain peacock adorned with real feathers. I also was drawn to a black jewel chest, its drawers sporting floral, plant and bird motifs. The pianos in the chateau were another delight.

While we were examining the back building, we saw the Dancing Hall. I stood in the middle of the 180 meters squared room and stared at the wall and ceiling frescoes of an exotic landscape with Classicist and Rococo elements. It almost made me dizzy with glee.

The frescoes were dotted with monkeys, peacocks, birds and ancient ruins as well as a few people in 18th century attire. The palm trees started at floor level and reached to the ceiling. The doors and fireplace became parts of the landscape, surrounded by trees and architecture from antiquity. I particularly liked the painting of the monkey praying. The faux window, made using illusive techniques, was another thrill. A temple stood in the idyllic landscape, where several people relaxed. Broken statues and pedestals added to the motif of antiquity. I was awed at how Tuvora’s delicate work really drew the viewer into the setting. I was even more fascinated by the restoration process of the fresco. They had arranged it into 650 parts and restored each piece during a lengthy process that was not ready until 2013. The fresco restoration had been even lauded by the National Monument Institute.

After the tour, we entered a small doorway from the courtyard of the back building. It didn’t look like it would be anything special. But inside there was a chapel dedicated to Saint Anthony, an impressive Baroque creation with gilded altars that included wonderful statuary. On the other side of the back building, there was a modern art exhibition that was interesting to see.

We soon left the chateau, full of awe at the 18th century interiors and intriguing architecture of the exteriors. Images of the Dancing Hall kept popping through my mind. It was definitely exceptional, a true work of art – precise and masterful. We came back to Prague, knowing our trip was a great success.

Tracy A. Burns is a writer, proofreader and editor in Prague.