  |
 |
NOVÉ HRADY | |
|
| Bechyně Blatná České Budějovice Červená Lhota Český Krumlov Dačice Dívčí Kámen Hluboká Jindřichův Hradec Klokoty Kratochvíle Landštejn Nové Hrady Ohrada Orlík Pelhřimov Písek Prachatice Rožmberk Schwarzenberg tomb Strakonice Tábor Třeboň Vimperk Vyšší Brod Zlatá Koruna Zvíkov We recommend |
|
On the site of an older fort settlement through which a trail led
to Weitra, a castle was built according to records from 1277. In 1341 King John of
Luxemburg gave Nové Hrady castle into the vassalage of Vilém of Landštejn. From 1359 it
then belonged to the Rožmberks who had walls and a moat built around the castle and the
town. The castle was nevertheless burned out several times, damaged by gun-powder
explosion and in 1590 even by an alleged earthquake. Vincenc Hultzšporer, Nové Hrady captain, wrote this to Petr Vok: "Your Grace, I report that yesterday at 5 o'clock on the horologe here at Nové HYady there was a great earth tremor, it quaked so much that in the mansion of your Grace in the big room where that hewn stone projects, it shook and threw that stone down. Then ih the night at 12 o'clock there was also such a great tremor that in horror, with all the servants I had to flee from my house `: After the Rožmberks died out, the Šwamberks had Nové Hrady for a short time. By a deed of covenant issued by Emperor Ferdinand II in 1620, the imperial general, Karel Bonaventura Buquoy, received the Nové Hrady estate, Rožmberk and Libějovice. Nové Hrady remained in the possession of that originally French family till 1945. The old castle was repaired in the 1st half of the 17th century, living quarters for the castle officials were made there and from 1887 the Buquoy forestry office worked there. The castle has retained to the most part the aspect after the Rožmberk alterations. The groundplan is roughly oval in shape with gateways at both ends and is surrounded by a wide, deep ditch. On the town square houses were adapted to make a residence for the family but it soon ceased to be representative enough, and in 1801 to 1810 an Empire mansion arose, designed by F. Werschafeld. On the main cornice of the two-storeyed building there is the coat-of arms of the builder, Jan Nepomuk Buquoy and his wife Terezie. In the town the monastery church of St. Peter and St. Paul with remarkable uniform interior furnishings from the last quarter of the 17th century is worth a visit. Near Údolí below Nové Hrady Jan Nepomuk Buquoy had a large English park laid out and planted with many rare trees. He named it Terezie valley after his wife and, at her wish, a small spa house was erected in the centre. In 1817 an artificial waterfall was built and Jiří Buquoy added a Swiss cottage to the romantic pavilions and little monuments. It is said about Countess Terezie that because of her immoral habits she was carried off by the Devil. A hole was shown in Lazničky to which the Devil flies every night with the countess who is compelled to keep watch till the first cockcrow of dawn. OHRADA The Ohrada hunting lodge was built for Adam František Schwarzenberg by his court builder, Pavel Ignác Bayer, in 1708-1713. It was not only used for hunting occasions - when Hluboká mansion was being reconstructed some years later, the owner and his family lived at Ohrada. Viennese artist Jiří J. Werle painted the legend of Diana, patroness of hunting, in the large hall and also decorated the Chapel of St. Eustace. But because Ohrada served above all as a hunting lodge, Jan Adolf II Schwarzenberg founded there a forestry and hunting museum in 1842 which was looked after by Václav Špatný. Before World War II a small zoo was built near the lodge as part of the museum. |
|
|
