Rájec nad Svitavou Castle (, ) is an early Neoclassical aristocratic residence in the

South Moravian Region The South Moravian Region (; , ; ), or just South Moravia, is an Regions of the Czech Republic, administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the south-western part of its historical region of Moravia. The region's capital is Brno, th ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

Geography

The castle is located in the village of Rájec (part of

Rájec-Jestřebí Rájec-Jestřebí () is a town in Blansko District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,700 inhabitants. Administrative division Rájec-Jestřebí consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population according to ...

), about north of

Blansko Blansko (; ) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Svitava River on the border of the Moravian Karst. It is mainly an industrial town. Administrative division Blansko consi ...

and north of

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

. The Svitava River, included in the castle's name, flows about west of the castle.

History

On the site of today's castle stood a medieval castle, which was likely destroyed by the end of the

14th century The 14th century lasted from 1 January 1301 (represented by the Roman numerals MCCCI) to 31 December 1400 (MCD). It is estimated that the century witnessed the death of more than 45 million lives from political and natural disasters in both Euro ...

. In 1570, Bernhard Drnovský von Drnovice built a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

castle on its site, which was destroyed by fire in 1746. The then owners moved to Sloup and sold the property to Count Anton Josef von Salm-Reifferscheidt in 1763. In the same year, Salm-Reifferscheidt began construction of the current castle and established the headquarters of the Salm-Reifferscheidt-Raitz line here. After the Czech Constitutional Court confirmed the

Czechoslovak Czechoslovak may refer to: *A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93) **First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38) **Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39) **Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60) ** Fourth Czechoslovak Repu ...

citizenship of Hugo, 5th Prince of Salm-Reifferscheidt-Raitz, who died in Rájec in 1946, in August 2005, thereby annulling a decree of the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...

, a legal basis was created for the House of Salm-Reifferscheidt-Raitz to claim restitution for the castle and the associated 7,000 hectares of land.

Description

In the spirit of

Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...

, a two-story building with a

mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called French roof or curb roof) is a multi-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper, and often punctured by dormer wi ...

and a courtyard of honor () was built between 1763 and 1769. The plans were drawn up by the French architect Isidor Marcellus Amandus Ganneval (Isidore Canevale) working in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. A notable outbuilding is the dovecote, which was part of the palace and built at the same time and is an early example of the

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

style. On the ground floor of the main building, the reception rooms from the last quarter of the 19th century have largely been preserved. In the 1950s, a painting collection belonging to the

Salm family The House of Salm was an ancient Lotharingian noble family originating from Salmchâteau in the Ardennes (present-day Belgium) and ruling Salm (state), Salm. The dynasty is above all known for the experiences of the Salm (state)#Upper Salm, Upper ...

was housed on the first floor of the palace, which primarily features works by Dutch and Flemish masters. Other sights at the castle and in the surrounding landscape park are the numerous decorations and, in some cases, almost life-size sculptures made of

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

, which the Prince, who was very open to modern technology, had manufactured in his own factory.

21st century

From 2002, Rájec nad Svitavou Castle has been protected as a national cultural monument. The castle is open to te public and offers guided tours. It is known for a library with a collection of over 60,000 books in eleven languages, which is one of the largest castle libraries in the Czech Republic. The castle also presents an extensive collection of oriental porcelain. Next to the castle is a garden, founded in 1767. In 2022 and 2023, the castle was visited by 24–25 thousand visitors, making it the most visited tourist destination in

Blansko District Blansko District () is a Okres, district in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Blansko. Administrative division Blansko District is divided into two Districts of the Czech Republic#Municipalities with exten ...

Gallery

Schloss Rajec nad Svitavou (37901620934).jpg Schloss Rajec nad Svitavou (37901628414).jpg Zámek Rájec nad Svitavou (Schloss Raitz) - panorama 2.jpg Schloss Rajec nad Svitavou (37901623974).jpg Schloss Rajec nad Svitavou (37901624734).jpg Schloss Rajec nad Svitavou (38562492666).jpg

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rajec nad Svitavou Castle Blansko District Historic house museums in the Czech Republic Castles in the South Moravian Region National cultural monuments of the Czech Republic