Duchcov - chateau

The current three-wing chateau was constructed from a 16th century Renaissance house originally held by the Lobkowicz family. The Baroque alterations to the chateau made following owners from the Waldstein family. Johann Friedrich of Waldstein first commissioned French architect Jean-Baptiste Mathey (architect of the Troja Palace in Prague, whom he had summoned from Rome) who worked here from 1675, and then from 1714 František Maxmilian Kaňka, who designs included a unique Baroque garden, which was... more information

The current three-wing chateau was constructed from a 16th century Renaissance house originally held by the Lobkowicz family. The Baroque alterations to the chateau made following owners from the Waldstein family. Johann Friedrich of Waldstein first commissioned French architect Jean-Baptiste Mathey (architect of the Troja Palace in Prague, whom he had summoned from Rome) who worked here from 1675, and then from 1714 František Maxmilian Kaňka, who designs included a unique Baroque garden, which was filled with staties by Matthias Bernhard Braun. The facade acquired its present Neo-Classical appearance in 1812–1818 and much of the Baroque garden was transformed into an extensive natural park in the same period. A major change to the chateau grounds was the demolition of the Baroque infirmary due to coal surface mining in 1958 and the subsequent construction of a modern pavilion for a fresco of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary by Václav Vavřinec Reiner that was moved as a result. The chateau was made famous by the adventurer and globetrotter Giacomo Casanova, who served as the count’s librarian here for thirteen years,while he wrote his legendary memoirs. Currently the Wallenstein Hall with frescoes of the family’s ancestors by V. V. Reiner, the picture gallery, the Waldstein family museum, the Billiard Room, the servants quarters and an exhibition dedicated to Casanova are open to the public; seasonal exhibitions are organised in the Giacomo Gallery. The terraces on the balustrade staircase offer a fascinating view of the park, the Ore Mountains and the sunset.