Veltrusy Château

At the beginning, Veltrusy was one of the most admired works of Late Baroque architecture, and the sculptures by Matyáš Bernard Braun emphasised the splendour of the mansion. The surrounding park is one of the largest parks in Bohemia.

Václav Antonín Chotek, a member of an old noble family, marked by the White Mountain confiscations, acquired the Veltrusy estate by marriage. Count Chotek was a very capable person and soon worked his way up to a prominent social status and held high state offices. Such function required a respectable and pretentious mansion. Its construction started in 1704. Veltrusy Château began being built with a generous Baroque concept as a complex of buildings decorated with a series of allegorical sculptures by the famous artist Matyáš Bernard Braun. It was once one of the most important works of Czech Late Baroque architecture in its original form. Its purely Baroque form was enhanced with Classicist elements after 1804.

Václav Antonín’s son Rudolf followed in his father’s footsteps by both expanding and beautifying the estate and in his the political career at the imperial court in Vienna. He even received one of the highest Habsburg awards – the Order of the Golden Fleece. And so, once again, the château was no longer sufficient for a man with such reputation and the estate continued to expand the residence. The third owner was Jan Rudolf Chotek, the founder of the Empire-style Kačina Château, who, just like his predecessors, was an educated, politically active and successful man. During his management, the park underwent some considerable modifications – the neat French gardens were transformed into a romantic landscape park, one of the five oldest and largest parks in Bohemia.

The long era of prosperity at the Veltrusy estate was completed by Jindřich, the grandson of Jan Rudolf. It all changed in the second half of the 19th century when the irresponsible management of the owner and lengthy economic crisis resulted in the gradual decline of the magnificent family residence. Karel and Livie were the last owners from the House of Chotek. The château was taken over by the Nazi army during WWII, and then by the Red Army. It was nationalised after 1945 and it is now managed by the National Heritage Institute.

Fun fact

The fallow deer game preserve was introduced to the Veltrusy park in 1802. The preserve is located in an area that makes it possible to watch the fallow deer from the main hall. But the fallow deer are not the only representatives of the local animal kingdom. You can see other deer, hares and pheasants in the château gardens.