CHATEAU

Komorní Hrádek Chateau

257 24 Chocerady - Komorní Hrádek

Style of architecture Renaissance

The predecessor of the chateau was the Gothic castle Čejchanov, built after 1300, whose disputed remains are preserved about 200 m west of the chateau. The chateau itself, the older part with a rounded facade, was built after the middle of the 16th century by Jan von Wallenstein as a four-winged chateau around an approximately square courtyard.

The predecessor of Komorní Hrádek was the castle, which was probably founded by the Lords of Dubá around 1300 on a rock promontory above the left bank of the Sázava River. During the reign of Václav IV, the robber knights Jan and Mikuláš Zoul seized Hrádek. After the conquest of the castle by the royal army, the castle was dismantled and destroyed. In 1412 a new castle called Veselé was built, which stands on the site of the present castle. From that time on, the whole of Chocerady belonged to the manor and its future fate was permanently linked to it.

The castle acquired its present name Komorní Hrádek in 1525, when it became the property of Jaroslav of Šelmberk, the highest chamberlain of the Bohemian kingdom. The bridge over the river, which served the old provincial road from Prague through Říčany towards Divišov, Humpolec and further to Moravia, dates from that year. The next holders, the Wallensteins, rebuilt the castle in the 16th century into a representative Renaissance chateau and in the 18th century it underwent further Baroque modifications. The connection with Chocerady is best described by the list of buildings that belonged to the estate: the princely brickyard, the bridge, the Obora yard with granary and animal preserve, the manor mill, the princely wine cellar - today's Ostende Hotel, the sokolovna - the original princely inn, the old school - originally the princely hospital and also the pond in the village square. The name Komorní Hrádek is also connected with the founding of the Chapel of the 14 Holy Helpers and the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Chocerad bears the footprints of the Wallenstein family.

The chateau served as the family seat until 1945, after the war it was confiscated from the last owners, the German Khevenhüller-Metsch family, and taken over by the Czechoslovak Army. Under various names, a training and education centre operated here. Even today, the castle is used by the Ministry of Defence as a training and social centre called the Agency for Planning and Development of Human Resources and is not open to the public. Only once a year, as part of the European Heritage Days, the centre organises an open day with various accompanying events.

The chateau's interiors are worth seeing, especially for their rich Baroque stucco decoration and wall and ceiling paintings. It is not without interest that all this was damaged by insensitive interventions during the adaptation of the premises for the needs of the army and only since the 1990s have the most valuable interiors gradually returned to their original form under the hands of restorers. Another great achievement was the restoration of the tower in 2000 (destroyed by fire in 1900) and the reconstruction and rededication of the chateau chapel in 2012 by Prague Archbishop Dominik Duka.

Map

Mapa
Contact
257 24 Chocerady - Komorní Hrádek
GPS: 49,86791697°N 14,79823489°E