Litomyšl Castle is a Renaissance arcaded château in Litomyšl in the Pardubice Region and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1999.
The château in Litomyšl is an arcaded château whose Renaissance architecture follows Italian models. It has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1999 [2]. It stands on a hill called Olivetská hora and is administered by the National Heritage Institute [1].
History of the site
According to Cosmas's Chronicle, a fortified seat stood on the site of today's château in 981 and guarded the Trstenice Trail. Around 1145 Jindřich Zdík, Bishop of Olomouc, invited Premonstratensians to Litomyšl, and the hill took the name Olivetská hora after their monastery. In 1259 Litomyšl received town rights from Ottokar II of Bohemia, and in 1344 Emperor Charles IV founded the Bishopric of Litomyšl, the second oldest after the one in Prague. The bishopric administered the town until 1425, when it was plundered by the Hussites [1].
From 1432 to 1547 the estate belonged to the Kostka family of Postupice, and from 1567 the Pernštejn family held it as a pledge. The first of them, Vratislav of Pernštejn, was chancellor of the Kingdom of Bohemia [1].
Construction of the château
The foundation stone of the new château was laid in 1568 and construction ended in 1581. According to the town's tradition, Vratislav of Pernštejn had it built for his Spanish wife. The design is attributed to the architect Giovanni Battista Avostalis de Sala, while the National Heritage Institute names the builders Giovanni Battista and Ulrico Aostalli [1][2]. The Renaissance residence stands on the site of a 14th-century bishop's castle [2].
Appearance and furnishings
The château has three courtyards, and its mass is articulated by gables and chimneys. The façades are decorated with sgraffito featuring motifs of letters and figures, the largest of which are two battle scenes. The main courtyard has three-storey arcades, one of which is an illusory backdrop. In the Baroque-adapted interiors, a palace theatre from the end of the 18th century with painted sets by Josef Platzer has been preserved. A park adjoins the building, and the complex is closed off by the former coach house, stables, riding hall and a Renaissance brewery, rebuilt in the Baroque style in the first third of the 18th century by František Maxmilián Kaňka [2].
Owners and administration
After the Pernštejns, the estate was bought in 1649 by the Trauttmansdorff family, from 1753 it was owned by the Waldstein-Wartenberg family, and in 1855 it passed to the Thurn und Taxis family. In the 20th century the state became the owner. Today the château is state property administered by the National Heritage Institute [1].