Moravský Krumlov Chateau

There was a four-wing Gothic castle on the location of the present chateau as early as the second half of the 13^th century, founded most likely by Ottokar II of Bohemia. Between 1557 and 1562, its owners, the lords of Lípa, had it rebuilt into a comfortable Renaissance seat based on designs by the architect Leonardo Garo da Bissono. The result was a building, very modern and elegant for its time, with an unprecedented arcade gallery, modelled after the Florence town palaces, which allowed connections between individual rooms. After the defeat of the Bohemian Revolt, the Moravský Krumlov estate was confiscated from the lords of Dubá and given to the lords of Lichtenstein. During the Thirty Years’ War, in 1645, the chateau was damaged and plundered by the Swedish army. It went through significant reconstructions, primarily in the 18^th century, when the front façade and the interiors were redecorated in Baroque style and one of the two surviving towers was demolished. In 1945, the chateau was nationalised on the basis of the Beneš decrees. Its use by the army and the government, as well as the unsuccessful privatisation after 1989, significantly contributed to its present dismal state. The chateau currently mostly houses modern art exhibitions.

The chateau preserved the floor plan of its predecessor, taking over the rectangular tower on its south-western side. The inner court is surrounded on three sides by an arcade gallery, while the fourth, southern side, is enclosed by a wall. In accordance with the classical requirement to use lighter materials in the higher sections, the arcade columns are of a different order on each of the three floors: from the “heavy” Tuscan on the ground floor through the Ionic on the first floor and the “lightest” Corinthian on the second floor. A unique element is the entrance staircase spun around its own open arcade court, which provides impressive views on the way to the main chateau halls. The chateau interiors were devastated several times in the 20^th century and only remains of the ornamentation have been preserved.