Bučovice - Part 2: The chateau

Well, finally I'm going to show you the chateau of Bučovice!

That is, I am going to show you the outside, because, as is the case with practically all Czech chateaus and castles and places, photography is not allowed inside. This is a big pity for you, because while the tour of the chateau was short, it was most interesting and breathtaking. The rooms are decorated with wonderful wall paintings, and they also have a fabulous library with globes and such things (I always love me a chateau library, and this one was particularly old and cool!). Get a little taste on their official site. And this photo, which comes from their site, but I'm unable to find it from there.

The cheateau is a Renaissance building, with a most beautiful arcaded courtyard (arcades on three sides) - interesting in that it uses lighter-style columns on the bottommost level, unlike the convention for arcades which is to use heavier Doric columns on the ground level. (Having spent a good part of my childhood immersed in an encyclopaedia of architectural terms pays off in a place like this.)

Every single column is decorated with unique carvings, which is what accounts for the amount of photos I took in the chateau. I was in love with the columns.

The chateau is not wholly reconstructed yet. From the park side, it looks like this (and I believe still did this summer when we went through Bučovice on our way to another chateau). So, quite frankly, these blog posts are also my attempt to possibly draw more attention to its potential beauty. The more people visit it, the more likely it's to get a new facade. Theoretically. Right?

The park is a French style one, I believe. It is not big, and there were not any flowers, which I think goes hand in hand with the fact the chateau seems to be struggling to be kept. But there's definitely also potential for beauty. It's a nice, calm, green place.

I was pretty much in love with the clock tower, too. And the shape of the windows and doors.

Who am I kidding. I was in love with the whole place. Look at that fabulous ceiling and lamp! And that's just the entrance.

Even the wholly practical administrative/agricultural/whatever buildings around are pretty.

Seriously, this is Renaissance at its best. Period.

 

So consider this a command: if you ever come to the Czech Republic, don't miss out on this one! You'll get Czech Republic and Italy rolled into one, for the price of one.