Duktsi Castle. Castles of the Czech Republic: a walk through the steps of history

: 50°36′08″ n. w. 13°44′39″ E. d. /  50.60222° N. w. 13.74417° E. d. / 50.60222; 13.74417(G) (I) Duchtsovsky Palace-Castle(German) Dux, Dux) - the country residence of one of the branches of the count family of Wallenstein, located in the town of Duchtsov, 8 km from Litvinov in the north of the Czech Republic.

It arose in the 13th century as a fortification of the Grabišić feudal lords. In the 16th century, the Lobkowitzes built a Renaissance palace on the site of the castle, which was inherited by the Wallensteins in the mid-17th century. Jean Baptiste Matei, who had already built Troy Castle near Prague, was invited to rebuild the residence in the Baroque style. He not only built a new manor house, but also designed outbuildings, a hospital building and a regular park. Such prominent masters as Matthias Bernard Braun and Wenzel Lorenz Rainer worked on the decoration of the Wallenstein residence in the 18th century.

Duchtsovsky Castle is famous mainly because the adventurer Giacomo Casanova spent his old years there as a library caretaker. It was here that his famous memoirs were written. After the Battle of Kulm, Emperor Alexander I stayed in the castle. In the 19th century, both the palace and the park underwent significant alterations. In 1921, the Waldsteins ceded the estate to the state.

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An excerpt characterizing Duchtsovsky Castle

Helen understood that the matter was very simple and easy from a spiritual point of view, but that her leaders made difficulties only because they feared how the secular authorities would look at this matter.
And as a result, Helen decided that it was necessary to prepare this matter in society. She aroused the jealousy of the old nobleman and told him the same thing as the first seeker, that is, she posed the question in such a way that the only means of obtaining rights to her was to marry her. The old important personage was at first just as amazed by this proposal to marry from a living husband as was the first young person; but Helen’s unshakable confidence that it was as simple and natural as a girl getting married had an effect on him too. If even the slightest signs of hesitation, shame or secrecy had been noticeable in Helen herself, then her case would undoubtedly have been lost; but not only were these signs of secrecy and shame absent, but, on the contrary, she, with simplicity and good-natured naivety, told her close friends (and this was all of Petersburg) that both the prince and the nobleman had proposed to her and that she loved both and was afraid of upsetting him and another.
A rumor immediately spread throughout St. Petersburg, not that Helen wanted to divorce her husband (if this rumor had spread, many would have rebelled against such an illegal intention), but a rumor directly spread that the unfortunate, interesting Helen was at a loss about which of the two should she marry? The question was no longer to what extent this was possible, but only which party was more profitable and how the court would look at it. There were indeed some stubborn people who did not know how to rise to the heights of the question and saw in this plan a desecration of the sacrament of marriage; but there were few of them, and they were silent, the majority were interested in questions about the happiness that befell Helen, and which choice was better. They didn’t talk about whether it was good or bad to marry a living husband, because this question, obviously, had already been decided for people smarter than you and me (as they said) and to doubt the correctness of the solution to the question meant risking showing one’s stupidity and inability live in the light.

Duchtsov Castle is located in the small town whose name it bears. The fortress is firmly associated with the name of the world famous adventurer - Giacomo Casanova. Most of the exhibits in the castle are dedicated to him. In addition, while visiting Duchtsov, tourists can learn the history of the creation of its exclusive furniture, enjoy a walk through the garden and park, which were planted during the construction of the castle.

Description

Duchtsovsky Castle was built in the 13th century. Three centuries later, the fortress was dismantled, and in its place a luxurious palace in the Renaissance style was erected. When the castle came into the possession of the Wallenstein family, it was decided to change its style to Baroque. This took a lot of time. At the same time, together with the master's house, a hospital, a French park and many outbuildings were built.

What to see?

Duchtsov Castle is known not only as an architectural landmark, but also as the last refuge of Casanova. Many tourists visit Duchtsov precisely because of its famous guest. At 60 years old, Giacomo Casanova was a man with a rich biography, but absolutely poor. He had neither housing nor valuable property. The Italian was sheltered by Count Waldstein, the owner of the Duchtsovsky castle. Casanova held the position of librarian. The palace and its gardens inspired Giacomo, and he took up creativity. During the 13 years he spent in the castle, he wrote the multi-volume book “The Story of My Life,” a novel, and scientific works on physics, chemistry and philosophy. Many manuscripts can be seen among the museum exhibits. Also in the collection there is:



During the tour, the guide tells stories and legends about Giacomo, and especially about how difficult life was for him in this castle. The servants immediately disliked him and found hundreds of ways to ruin his life. For example, cooks often overcooked pasta, which significantly spoiled the Italian’s mood. Guests of the castle, on the contrary, happily communicated with the erudite and charming Casanova. By the way, attending all events was, according to the agreement with Waldstein, his responsibility.

In addition to items related to the favorite of women, you can see other interesting items in the fortress. The walls of Duchtsov are hung with works of artists of the 15th-18th centuries, who at one time also visited the castle. It is worth visiting the room with unique furniture, looking at which you can trace the history of the development of furniture in Europe. After a tour of the castle, tourists are invited to take a walk through the garden and park.

Interesting Facts

Part of the castle territory is occupied by modern buildings. This is due to the fact that in 1982 the administration was looking for mineral deposits in the territory of Duchtsov. For this purpose, the old hospital and chapel were demolished. New houses were built in their place.


The fate of Casanova's buried body is also interesting. Initially, he was buried in the cemetery next to Duchtsovsky Castle, but after it was closed, the remains were moved to another place. Despite close attention to Giacomo's life, the grave has not yet been found.

How to get there?

The city of Duchtsov is located in the Czech Republic, 100 km from, they are connected by state road No. 8. You need to follow it to the town of Rehlovice, then turn onto the E442 highway in a westerly direction. Near the town of Hostomice you need to take route 258, which will take you to Duchcovo Castle.

In the north of the Czech Republic, near the Czech resort of Teplice, is located Duchcov Castle, which is made in Baroque style. It was built in the 13th century and belonged to the Wallenstein family. In the 16th century, the residence was completely rebuilt and took on the appearance of a luxurious palace complex. The architectural ensemble was built according to the design of Matei Jean Baptiste. M. Brown and W. Rainer worked on the facades of the building. Schiller, Goethe, and also Beethoven stayed in this castle.

The Duchtsov palace complex is famous for housing Giacomo Casanova within its walls. While in the castle, he wrote memoirs on erotic themes, so he was considered a great lover. Connoisseurs of wax figures can admire the figure of Casanova.

In Duchtsovsky Castle, tourists are provided with exhibition halls in which various exhibitions are presented. The chair in which Casanova sat stands out especially beautifully in front of visitors to the castle. The great memoirist died in the same chair. The bedroom and furnishings of the castle have been preserved with great historical accuracy.

Schedule

September-March:
Tuesday-Sunday: 9:00-17:00
June August:
Tuesday-Sunday: 9:00-18:00
October, April:
Tuesday-Sunday: 9:00-15:00

Ticket price:


Adult: 120 CZK
Child: 80 CZK
Children under 6 years old - free

How to get to the castle

Address: home Republiky 202/9, 419 01 Duchcov
GPS: 50.602222,13.744167
Telephone: +420 417 835 301

By car

The Czech palace ensemble of Duchtsov can be reached by private car. From Prague to the castle the distance is approximately 90 kilometers. By car you need to take the E442 highway (13). This road indicates the direction to Chomutov and Ostrov. After the car has traveled 90 kilometers, you need to turn left onto highway 252 towards Hostomice and Duchcov. You have to drive about five kilometers along this road. You can park your car right next to the castle. Traveling by bus to Duchcov Castle is tiring and unprofitable, since you need to make four transfers along the way.

By train

The most convenient way to go to the Czech castle Duchcov is by train. The travel time of any train varies within two hours. The cost of a train ticket is 140 CZK. You can get to Duchcov Castle from Prague Central Train Station. The Prague-Duchtsov train (R615) departs at 08.20 via Usty and Karlovy Vary. The train's final stop is not far from the palace complex in the town of Duchtsov. From the station to the castle you need to walk (about 2 kilometers) or travel by local transport (minibuses, taxis). Additionally, there is a train that travels in the evening. The Prague-Duchtsov train (R609) departs from platform three at 17.25. Arrives in Duchtsov at 19.30. The fare for this train is 155 CZK.

Visit the Czech Duchcov Castle and you will be pleased with such a tourist site. Getting to the castle is easy and simple!

The name of Giacomo Casanova, the great lover of the 18th century, is known to everyone. But not everyone knows that he spent the last 13 years of his life in the Czech lands. His last refuge was Duchtsovsky Castle.

Duchcov Castle (Zámek Duchcov), photo by Svyatoslav Smurov

Duchcov Castle (Zámek Duchcov) or Dux Castle (Dux) is another country residence of the Wallenstein family. It is located in the town of Duchtsov. Giacomo Casanova spent the last years of his life here. Russian Tsar Alexander I, Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm, Austrian Chancellor Metternich, Schiller, Goethe and Beethoven visited the castle.

History of the castle construction

Duchtsovsky Castle was founded in the 13th century. It belonged to the Grabišić family of feudal lords and served as a strategic fortification. In the 16th century, Duchtsovsky Castle passed to the Lobkovich dynasty and was rebuilt into a Renaissance palace.

View of the castle from the park, photo Lyrael Rosse

In the 17th century, Dux went to the noble Bohemian family of Wallenstein. At that time, the Baroque style became a fashionable direction in architecture, and the new owners began rebuilding the castle. In 1675-85. The architect Jean Baptiste Matei worked in Duchtsov. Outstanding sculptors worked at the Waldstein residence: Wenzel Lorenz Rainer and Matthias Bernard Braun. During this period, utility rooms, a hospital and a park were built. The Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary was built next to the castle.

In the middle of the 19th century. Another reconstruction was carried out. The owner of the castle at that time was Frantisek Adam Waldstein. By his decree, the facades of the palace were changed in the classical style; The park was rebuilt in English style. The semi-enclosed U-shaped courtyard, consisting of three wings, was supplemented with sculptures by M. B. Brown. At the same time, the famous Dux Armory Cabinet was created.

In 1923, the owners of the castle sold Duchtsy to the state. Today, the Armory Hall displays a collection of bladed weapons and firearms, festive horse harness, forged chests, armor, and cannons. The Main Hall contains paintings from the Waldstein family collection. In the Billiard Room there is a gaming table from the 18th century. with a ramp for candle lighting; 19th century furniture in the Rococo style and family portraits of the Waldsteins.

Duchtsov Castle – Casanova’s final refuge

A museum of one of the most famous and controversial characters of the 18th century, Giacomo Casanova, has been created in Duchtsov. The “Great Lover” spent the last 13 years of his life in Dux (1785-98). He acted as custodian of the library and wrote his memoirs. In those years, Giacomo was no longer a favorite of women. He was tired, sick a lot and even took a vow of celibacy. Casanova’s last literary work was a 12-volume memoir, “The Story of My Life.” The utopian novel “Ikosameron” and a number of serious scientific treatises also belong to the “Dukhtsov” period.

The main exhibit of the museum is Giacomo's chair. He worked on his memoirs in it, and died in it. The furnishings of his bedroom were completely recreated. Behind the desk today you can see a wax figure of Casanova himself.

The aging Giacomo was not happy with life in the castle. The capricious Italian did not like the food, the yard servants, or even the rainy weather of the Czech Republic. He was at odds with the manager, the German Georg Feldkirchner. In a state of extreme irritation, Casanova often ran away from Duchtsov, but always returned back. He had nowhere to go. Count Waldstein greeted him cordially and took him back. In the end, the world of the infirm Casanova narrowed to a few rooms in the castle.

Death overtook Giacomo in his favorite chair by the window. In his arms he held his little Italian Greyhound, Finette. He was buried in the local cemetery, near the Church of St. Barbara. A gravestone with his name was discovered in the 20s of the 20th century, but the ashes were moved somewhere after the closure of the cemetery. Today no one knows the exact burial place of Giacomo Casanova.

Tickets

There are 2 main castle tours available:

I. Wallenstein excursion;
II. Casanova in the castle.

A full ticket costs 60 Kč;
preferential – 40 Kč;
family – 160 CZK;
children under 6 years old – free.

Before visiting the castle, check the website for the castle's opening hours and ticket prices.

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The most fertile country in Europe in terms of tourism is the Czech Republic. There are no seas or oceans here, but few would not dream of spending a weekend in this amazingly beautiful country. The beautiful castles and palaces of the Czech Republic are the first place tourists flock to. We decided to tell you about some castles.

Symbol of the Czech Republic Prague Castle

The symbol of the Czech Republic and the residence of the Czech kings, Prague Castle was founded in the ninth century. As the largest of the currently operating palace complexes, it is included in the Guinness Book. You need to spend several days to see at least its main attractions. Rare historical documents, priceless works of artistic geniuses, and Christian relics are collected here. Each architectural structure of the City is a masterpiece of architectural thought. Its dominant feature, the Gothic St. Vitus Cathedral, is one of the most valuable religious buildings in the world. It is this palace ensemble that puts Prague among the most beautiful cities in the world.

Pearl of South Bohemia

In their beauty, the best castles of the Czech Republic compete with English and French palaces and even surpass them. Above the small town of České Krumlov, as in the picture, rises a fabulously beautiful castle, rich in history. This is not just a castle, but also a fortress with powerful fortifications. Each of the courtyards is a creation worthy of the title of masterpiece. And the castle theater is one of the few similar buildings that have survived to this day in its original form.

The luxurious park of Krumlov spreads over seven hectares. A modern theater with a rotating auditorium was built in one of the most picturesque places. The lawns of the park serve as the stage for grandiose performances.

Krumlov was built in the 12th century. Behind every door there lives a legend. The most famous is about the White Lady, they say she predicts the future. Whoever sees her smiling and wearing white gloves will be lucky. But sadness on the face and red or black gloves predict trouble. Every castle has its own ghost, but Krumlov has too many of them - each legend is more magical than the other.

Czech Windsor

In the category of the most beautiful castles in the Czech Republic, the championship is confidently held by Hluboká Castle. It is located near Ceske Budajovice, stands on a rocky cliff and is a magnificent copy of Windsor Palace. “Amazing!” exclaims everyone who sees this masterpiece of architectural creation for the first time. The owners of the castle, the Schwarzenberg princes, were fabulously rich. On their estates, and most of all in Hluboka, they collected the best works of artistic geniuses.

And the dining gallery of the castle was so elegant that even royalty considered it an honor to be invited to dinner. Luxurious tables were set in the midst of blooming camellias and other plants of rare beauty. The castle restaurant still serves ancient dishes cooked in copper cauldrons. The atmosphere of the hall was also preserved. The palace itself has been the National State Museum since 1947.

In the footsteps of Casanova

The most beautiful castles in the Czech Republic we mentioned are famous for their luxury. There are also more modest, but no less famous palaces. Dux Castle in Bohemia, the residence of the counts of Wallenstein, has a rich collection of paintings, porcelain, and hunting weapons. But it is famous for the fact that the famous Giacomo Casanova spent the last fourteen years of his life there. Here the hero-lover wrote his “erotic Eliad” - “Memoirs”.

He met the owner of the palace in Paris. They were united by a love for women, a passion for the occult and adherence to the ideas of Freemasonry. The count invited his friend to become his personal librarian - for the smartest man of his era this offer was humiliating. But by that time Casanova had squandered all his wealth, so he agreed.

The nobility of that time gathered at Dux Castle. Mostly in order to read “that very book”. But many came to listen to Casanova himself, who knew closely the brightest representatives of the European aristocracy, famous thinkers and minds of that time.

Favorite place of Franz Ferdinand

Konopiste Castle can hardly be called very beautiful. He is rather the most ordinary. But the palace is famous for the fact that until his last day there lived a man whose death turned the whole world upside down. It had much more serious consequences than the passing of the heir to one of the most important European thrones.

Franz Ferdinand valued this place. Here he indulged in his favorite hobby - hunting. Here he spent years with his beloved woman. A confirmed bachelor fell in love with his governess, Countess Sofia Chotek. Despite the protests of his family, he married her. Three children were born from this marriage. Once, while hunting in the vicinity of Konopiste, Franz Ferdinand met an old woman who predicted the prince’s violent death. The prediction came true on June 28, 1914. Happy, loving spouses died from a bullet from a revolutionary student.

We only talked about five castles in the Czech Republic. And there are more than two thousand of them in the country, which has preserved its historical heritage as much as possible. The history of each such place is shrouded in legends. All the castles and palaces of the Czech Republic are worthy of being the topic of a separate article. You can become its author.