Moravská Třebová Castle

Renaissance chateau Moravská Třebová (Moravian Trübau)

The Moravská Třebová Castle (German Castle Mährisch Trübau ) in the Moravian town of Moravská Třebová in the Svitavy district of the Pardubice region is one of the most important Renaissance monuments in the Czech Republic . The renaissance castle with the arcade courtyard is located in the city center on the site of the original 13th century castle and was rebuilt in the late 15th and early 17th centuries. The castle is a listed building and is open to the public.

history

Overview of the succession

around 1270–1325: Boresch von Riesenburg (city founder), Czech: Boreš z Rýzmburka
1325–1365: Lords of Leipa , Czech: Páni z Lípé
1365–1398: Luxembourger , Czech: Lucemburkové
1386–1464: Lords of Kunstadt , Czech: Páni z Kunštátu
1464–1490: Lords Kostka von Postupitz , Czech: Kostové z Postupic
1490–1589: Lords of Boskowitz , Czech: Páni z Boskovic
1589–1622: Lords of Zierotin , Czech: Páni ze Žerotína
1623–1945: Lords of Liechtenstein , Czech: Páni z Lichtenštejna

Oldest period

The first written mention of the town of Trübau (Třebová) comes from the year 1270. Boresch II of Riesenburg (Czech. Boreš z Rýzmburka ) (1210 / 15–1277) had shortly before on a nearby hill above the river Třebůvka (German Moravian Triebe ) have a fortified castle built. After those of Riesenburg died out in 1325, the rule fell to the Bohemian King John of Luxembourg , who immediately sold them to the Lords of Leipa (Páni z Lipé) and the Johann von Leipa, known as "the Iron" (Czech. Jan Železný z Lipé ) took possession.

In 1365, the Margrave of Moravia, Johann Heinrich von Luxemburg (Czech. Jan Jindřich Lucemburský ) (1322-1375) bought the manor and the town with the castle. His son Margrave Jobst of Moravia (Czech. Jošt Moravský ) (1351-1411) handed over the rule to Erhart I von Kunstadt († around 1406) in 1398, so that the lords of Kunstadt (Czech. Páni z Kunštátu a Poděbrad ) took over the rule . Although the lords of Kunstadt were supporters of the Hussites , their burgrave Hanuš Schwarz handed over the castle and town to the Silesian army in 1422 under the leadership of the governor Konrad von Oels , who was on the campaign against the Hussites. Zdenko III. Kostka von Postupitz (Czech. Zdeněk Kostka z Postupic ) (1438–1468) acquired the rule Třebová in 1464 from King George of Podebrady . The last owner was Count Georg Kostka von Postupitz (Czech. Jiří Kostka z Postupic ) († 1491 in Mährisch-Trübau).

Boskovice period

Johann Heralt von Kunstadt and Lischnitz (Czech. Jan Heralt z Kunštátu a Líšnice ) (around 1441–1490) sold the Moravská Třebová rule in 1490 to Ladislaus Welen von Boskowitz (Czech. Ladislav Velen z Boskovic ) (around 1455–1520). He had studied in Ferrara , Bologna , Padua , Pavia and Vienna and was therefore familiar with the ideas of humanism and the Renaissance. He set up his main residence here and had the old castle rebuilt into a palace in the Renaissance style in the years 1490–1492. The construction of the entrance wing began and a continuous courtyard axis was designed. The castle with the richly decorated portal from 1492 is one of the most important early Renaissance buildings in Central Europe north of the Alps and represents the oldest Renaissance monument in the Czech Republic. The castle portal, the only remaining part of the original complex, has the following inscription provided: "Ladislaus de Boskovicz et Nigromonte Dominus Castri huius me fecit sub anno Domini 1492" (Ladislaus von Boskowitz and Schwarzenberg, the lord of the castle, built me in 1492). On the other side of the gate are the portrait medallions (copies) of the builder Ladislaus Boskowitz and his wife Magdalena von Dauba and Leipa . These marble portraits were created in a sculptor's workshop in central Italy in 1495.

This renovation shows the new architectural trends that were spread from Italy via the Hungarian Buda , where master builders and stonemasons from the circle around Leon Battista Alberti worked, whose activities had a strong influence on Mährisch Trübau Castle. Only the slightly reduced tower with a spiral staircase has been preserved from the original castle. The construction of the chapel was completed in 1497, but it was demolished again after the fire in 1840. Only the east wing of the old castle of Ladislaus Boskowitz remained with the so-called knight's hall, which is equipped with a cross vault with heraldic symbols of the Boskowitz and related families. In the new castle, which was now the main residence of the family, an extensive library of classical Roman and Greek literature as well as a number of scientific works was built and collections of numerous works of art and carpets were created. King Ladislaus Jagiello (Czech: Vladislav Jagellonský ) also praised the new collections when he was a guest in Mährisch Trübau for a few days in 1497.

The renovation after the fire of 1509, in which the two builders Jerome Dubenský and Kaspar Harding were involved, was carried out in the spirit of the newer Renaissance style. Ladislaus Boskowitz died in Letovice Castle in 1520 . All his possessions were bequeathed to his son Christoph von Boskowitz (Czech. Kryštof z Boskovic ) († 1550), who, unlike his father, was a follower of the teachings of Martin Luther . His sons Wenzel and Johann Christoph von Boskowitz (Czech: Václav and Jan Kryštof z Boskovic) also shared the castle as their residence. After another fire in 1541, the construction of the palace was completed between 1560 and 1570 with the completion of the south wing. This was connected to the neighboring wings by open arcades. A monument to Johann von Boskowitz is on the portal of the eastern outer wall of the castle.

Zierotine period

During the period of the Lords of Boskowitz and Zierotin between 1490 and 1622, the town of Moravian Trübau (Moravská Třebová) experienced a heyday. The high cultural level of this period meant that Moravian Trübau became the center of humanistic education and was given the honorary name of “Moravian Athens”. Because numerous architectural and artistic works were created at that time, the entire city center, together with the castle and the Kreuzberg, was included in the list of monument reserves .

After the extinction of the Lords of Boskowitz in 1589, Johann Černohorsky von Boskowitz (Czech. Jan Šembera z Boskovic ) (1543–1597) handed over the rule of Moravská Třebová to the Lords of Zierotin (Žerotín) of the line of Lundenburg, namely to John IV of Zerotein (Zierotin) on Lundenburg († 1590) and his wife Kunigunde geb. from Boskowitz. Under their son Ladislav Velen von Zerotein (also Ladislaus Welen Zierotin, Czech. Ladislav Velen ze Žerotína ) (1579–1638), Moravian Trübau was the main residence of the family from 1589 to 1622. He had studied abroad and spoke four languages (Czech, German, Latin and Italian). He had the old Renaissance castle of Ladislaus von Boskowitz expanded in the years 1611–1620. On the site of the former moat, three mannerist late Renaissance wings with arcaded courtyards were built according to plans by Italian architects, probably by Giovanni Maria Philippi (1565–1630). The designs for the facade with the central tower can be traced back to the architectural theorist Sebastiano Serlio (1475–1554). The construction was carried out by Giovanni Motalla de Bonamonte from Castasegna in Bergell . The stonemason and sculptural work (e.g. reliefs with half-figures and imaginative heads) were carried out by the Italian craftsmen Adam Motl, Abondio Olivier Salis and Lorenz Paris. Since Ladislaus Zerotein was one of the Moravian leaders of the aristocratic rebellion and part of the Winter King Frederick of the Palatinate , all his possessions, including the Moravská Třebová reign, were expropriated after the Battle of White Mountain in 1621 and fell to the Bohemian Crown. To avoid the death penalty, which was pronounced in absentia, he emigrated and fought against the Habsburgs in various military associations during the Thirty Years' War .

Liechtenstein period

In 1622 the rule of Moravian Trübau was acquired by Karl von Liechtenstein . This marked the beginning of the Liechtenstein rule . The castle became the administrative center of Liechtenstein rule, including the Trnávka estate (Markt Türnau). The fortress character of the old castle was abandoned. The builder Giovanni Motalla worked on the castle renovation again after a break from 1628. In 1634 the castle was looted by the Swedish army, and large parts of the furnishings and art collections were lost. The large palace library was transferred to Nikolsburg (Mikulov) by Cardinal Franz Seraph von Dietrichstein .

In 1840, the city and castle were destroyed by another devastating fire, so that another castle renovation was necessary. The then owner Alois II of Liechtenstein had parts of the castle torn down and repaired or rebuilt some sections, so that after the fire of 1840 only the east wing of the castle was preserved in its original form. As a result, the closed Renaissance style of the old complex was largely lost forever. After the fire, the west wing of the palace was rebuilt symmetrically to the east wing. The arcade courtyard with the columned facade of the old castle and a late-Gothic room were reconstructed from the Mannerist period around 1492, and the gate with the medallions and the slogan was preserved.

The general appearance today corresponds to the late Empire style . During the Liechtenstein rule, extensive outbuildings in the north were converted into the castle brewery, which has now been privatized. The castle remained in the possession of the Liechtensteiners until 1945, but they only came to the castle for hunts or to clarify economic questions. It mainly served as the administrative headquarters and for the apartments of officials and servants. The castle was looted, expropriated and nationalized in 1945. After that there were administrative facilities and warehouses there. The chateau has belonged to the town of Moravská Třebová since the 1990s and was renovated until 2005 as part of an extensive 10-year reconstruction. The palace garden has been restored since 2012.

Structural system

Ground plan of the castle (black) and Boskowitz Castle (1490–1492, dark gray) and Zierotin Castle (1611–1620, light gray)

The new castle from 1492 was laid out on several floors in the late Gothic and early Renaissance styles . The design included a four-wing Renaissance building that was to completely enclose a large inner courtyard. The west wing was partially bent due to the reference to the old castle. The individual rooms on the ground floor had their own entrance from the courtyard. On the upper floor, the living rooms were concentrated in the north and east wings, and the representative rooms in the south wing. The west wing served economic purposes and was connected to the cubic structure of the black kitchen. The main entrance was on the north wing and to the west it was bordered by the masonry of the old tower.

After the fire of 1840, three wings kept their original façades with arcades (the north and east wings completely, in the west wing only the northern half). The south wing had to be completely demolished and the main entrance was relocated to the south gate. This gave the castle its current U-shaped appearance, which is characterized by the large, open inner courtyard in the south. The current facade of the north wing is oriented towards the palace square and emerges from the massive square tower with a strictly symmetrical facade. The mansard roof is supported by a profiled cornice with a triangular gable with a clock. On the ground floor there is a three-axis stone portal, the two half-columns of which support the entablature and the pedestals are decorated with half-figure reliefs of male and female figures. The main pillars of the arcade arches wear fantastic masks. The area between the arcades is decorated with rustication (brickwork made of ashlar stones). The arcades have a cross vault .

sightseeing

As part of a guided tour of the castle, the medieval torture chamber in the Gothic vaults and the alchemist laboratory of the master ME Bonacino - astrologer, alchemist and court doctor of Ladislaus Velen von Zierotin - can be visited. The castle is also home to the city library and an art school.