|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 | |  | |  | |  |
|
|
 |
   |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
   |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
  Raised to the status of town in the l4th century, Dačice, lying on an old trading route, was mentioned in written records as early as in 1183. The town reached its prime in the l6th century when it became the residential seat of the vast estate of the Krajíř of Krajek family. Results of the economic boom of that period was reflected by the building activities in the town of Dačice and can be seen even today. The building of the old chateau next to the old stronghold surviving to these days was completed in 1579. (The old chateau is not open to the public, however). The town received a new dominant structure formed by the Renaissance tower of St Lawrence church built by Francesco Garof de Bison from Italy. The same architect was engaged by Oldřich Krajíř of Krajek to build a new chateau mentioned in Dačice records for the first time in 1591. The architecture of the chateau is inspired by north Italian town palaces with four wings enclosing a square courtyard. Its Renaissance origin is recalled by two storeys of arcade-loggias in the main northern wing. After the family of Krajířs of Krajek died on the chateau changed hands in short intervals, while protracted property lawsuits prevented repairs which had become necessary after two fires in the l7th century. When Jindřich Karel of Ostein purchased the estate in 1728 it finally was possible to start a fundamental reconstruction of the chateau supervised by Francesco Camelli. The chateau tower above the southern wing owes its character to these alterations. The last reconstruction which gave Dačice Chateau its present appearance is connected with the names of subsequent owners - the Dalbergs who came to Dačice at the beginning of the l9th century. Architect Riedl from Vienna altered the chateau's exterior in Empire style in 1816 and fifteen years later Schleps, another Viennese architect, brought the chateau's interiors into harmony with its Empire frontage. The Dalbergs held Dačice till 1940 when their family died on and their property was inherited by the Salm-Salms. In 1945 Dačice Chateau became property of the Czechoslovak State. Building alterations carried out in the l9th century transformed the originally Renaissance chateau into a harmonious example of Empire style architecture respected fully by the furnishings of most rooms as we can see them today. |
|
