LIBLICE Castle

History

The Liblice castle near Mělník was built in 1699 - 1706 as an aristocratic family seat for Arnošt Josef Pachta of Rájov by an Italian architect G. B. Alliprandi. There were also some other important persons who participated in its building, for example G. A. Pesina, J. Mytmayer, a plasterer D. Spaza and a stone dresser G. P. Toscana. The Pachts sold the manor in the first half of the 19th century to Bedřich Deym of Zřítež. In the year 1863 Vojtěch Deym sold the manor of Liblice to countess Antoine of Valdštejn who reconstructed the castle in the neo-renaissance style. Her daughter Mrs Thurn Hohenstein inherited the manor and it belonged to the Thurn Hohenstein family until the year 1945, when it was confiscated by the State. Since 1952 the whole object has been used by the ČSAV( THE CZECHOSLOVAK ACADEMY OF SCIENCE). Today, the Liblice castle near Mělník is converted into a hotel. Some rooms are still furnished with period furniture.

Building

Its core is a cylindrical shape containing a salla terrena (with frescoes from the second half of the 18th century and apparently an original stucco decoration), and a great hall with ceiling paintings by Emile Lauffer which undertook the neo-renaissance reconstruction. There are very nice vases which were made in scruptual conception by the Ignác František Platzers workshop (around year 1870). In the manor are also some ground floor buildings (originally with economic purpose), a baroque garden and an extensive deer reserve.

Surroundings

Not far away from the castle is situated the gothic St. Václav church (which was later rebuilt in the baroque style) and the Virgin Marie chapel from 1699. These buildings were apparently also build by Alliprandi.