Libeň Château

history

The château, with its adjoining courtyard and park, is the central landmark of old Libeň. It stands on the site of a former Gothic stronghold, parts of which survive in the cellars, the ground floor of the southern wing and the western wing. The stronghold stood at the heart of the settlement of Libeň, first mentioned in 1363 as the property of the Rotlevs, a patrician family from Prague’s Old Town. One of its later owners was Eliška Hoffmannová, wife of Bedřich of Černhaus. She purchased the property in 1595 and had it converted into a comfortable Renaissance château, its façade decorated with geometric sgraffito that survives beneath the present plaster. The château is best remembered as the place where the Peace of Libeň was concluded in 1608. The agreement brought an end to Matthias’s military campaign against his brother Rudolf II in Prague. Backed by the Moravian and Austrian Estates, Matthias had sought to seize his brother’s throne. He agreed to halt his advance after Rudolf II ceded Hungary to him and recognised his right as heir to the Bohemian throne.

In 1662, the château was purchased by Prague’s Old Town. Following alterations in the early Baroque style, until the mid-nineteenth century it served as a residence and summer retreat for Prague’s mayors and as a place for their distinguished guests to stay. The Old Town coat of arms above the main entrance remains as a reminder of this period. Visitors included King John II Casimir of Poland, Maria Theresa (who stayed here several times), Emperor Leopold II and his successor, Emperor Francis I. The château acquired its present appearance during extensive Rococo alterations in 1769—1770, overseen by the builder Jan Josef Prachner. The main two-storey eastern wing, with its imposing façade, turret and clock, was added at this time. A double-flight staircase was built in the northern wing, together with a Rococo chapel whose façade faces the courtyard. The chapel projects beyond the main building and has a rectangular plan ending in a semicircular sanctuary. Its roof is crowned by a turret with a lantern and a small bell. The interior is decorated with valuable wall and ceiling paintings by Ignác Raab, restored in 1885 by the Prague painter František Ludvík Duchoslav. The chapel was dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. The Rococo remodelling also included the addition of pseudo-Classical paintings to the Great Hall; the artist of these works is unknown. The southern side of the hall is dominated by two large scenes of courtly life set among columns, followed by mythological figures, vases, playful putti and cupids — characteristic Rococo motifs. Until 1848, the hall housed a portrait gallery of Old Town mayors, which was later moved to the council chamber of the Old Town Hall. An Empire-style tiled stove by V. J. Sommerschuh can still be seen in the Great Hall. The château served as a hospital during a plague and as a military hospital following the Austro-Prussian War and the Battle of Hradec Králové in 1866. During the great flood of 1845, it sheltered families from Libeň forced out of their homes by the rising waters. By the mid-nineteenth century, the château had ceased to serve as a residence for Prague’s mayors and had fallen into disrepair.

In 1882—1883, at the suggestion of the municipal elders and particularly Vojta Náprstek, it was converted into a residential educational institution for young people, the first of its kind in Bohemia. Known as Pražská vychovatelna, or the Prague Reformatory, the institution accommodated troubled young people between the ages of eight and eighteen. Its 55 residents attended primary and continuation classes and received vocational training in four workshops. The institution was the forerunner of the later Vychovatelna building, constructed further up the hill. Further alterations were carried out in the early twentieth century under the supervision of the builder Bartoněk. In 1909, the paintings in the Great Hall and other interiors were restored by Jakub Obrovský. The surrounding grounds were landscaped by the Prague municipal gardener and prominent architect František Thomayer. In 1957, the former château park was named Thomayer Gardens in his honour. In 1935, a monument to JUDr Jan Podlipný was unveiled at the foot of the park. A Czech patriot, Podlipný served as Mayor of Prague and was the first president of the Czech Sokol organisation. The larger-than-life statue is the work of the sculptor and professor Jaroslav Brůha. In 1946, the Great Hall was converted into a wedding hall. The building later housed the Prague 8 District National Committee. Comprehensive work to restore the entire château was not carried out until 1996—1997. Alterations to the ceremonial hall and adjoining rooms were designed by the architect Pavel Kolíbal. During the work, extensive early eighteenth-century wall paintings were discovered beneath the plaster in the antechamber. Their restoration was entrusted to the conservators Renata Drahotová and Dominica Machačová. At present, Libeň Château is the only place in Prague where civil and religious weddings can be held under the same roof. Civil ceremonies take place in the Great Hall, while religious ceremonies are held in the restored and consecrated château chapel. The chapel also serves as a concert venue.