Vranov nad Dyjí Chateau

Vranov nad Dyjí was first mentioned in 1100 when, according to the chronicler Cosmas, there was a Přemyslid hillfort there that protected the Moravian border against enemy incursion from the Austrian lands. An Early Gothic castle was built in its place in the middle of the 13^th century and in the following centuries it was expanded and fortified on several occasions. During the Thirty Years’ War, it withstood an attack by the Swedish army. As a consequence of the siege and a devastating fire in 1665, however, it was significantly damaged. In 1680, Michael Johann II of Althann acquired the complex and decided to replace most of the castle buildings by a Baroque chateau, which would provide comfortable accommodation and a representative appearance in accordance with the standards of the time. The construction began in 1687 and lasted for almost a hundred years. Between 1799 and 1809, the chateau was owned by the Polish families Mniszek and Stadnicky, although its appearance did not significantly change. The chateau has been state property since 1945.

The chateau is located on top of a 76-metre-tall cliff above the river Dyje, accessible by a 57-metre-long stone bridge. The entrance leads to the first court, in which a number of buildings from the original castle have been preserved, primarily a slanted square tower, Late Gothic commercial buildings (rebuilt in the 19^th century in Neo-Gothic style) and parts of the walls. A dominant feature of the chateau complex is the so-called Ancestors’ Hall, built in 1687–1695 by the foremost Austrian architect Jan Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. The monumental High Baroque building has an oval floor plan and was meant to celebrate the Althann family, emphasise its ancient lineage and highlight its merits. The interior measures 25 by 15 by 15 metres and is decorated by ten sculptures of prominent members of the Althann family and by rich stucco ornaments. The surface of the dome contains a large fresco by the painter Johann Michael Rottmayr with allegorical and mythological scenes. The compositionally well-balanced and artistically exceptionally well-crafted space is one of the best examples of secular Baroque architecture in the Czech Republic.

An imaginary counterpoint to the Ancestors’ Hall is the unusually large chateau chapel of the Holy Trinity with the Althann family tomb, also designed by Fischer von Erlach. The central nave is cylindrical and surrounded by six other semi-cylindrical rooms and ends in a dome, while its front is complemented by two towers. The three-wing chateau proper, designed by Anton Erhard Martinelli, was built gradually until 1780. The fourth wing was deliberately left open and thus forms a terrace offering an impressive view of the river Dyje valley.