Draft:Castle Blatna

Castle Blatna is a castle in the town of Blatna, Czech Republic, 60 kilometres northwest of České Budějovice and about 95 kilometres southwest of Prague. It is situated in a English-style park and is one of three "water castles" in the Czech Republic. The castle has a distinct architectural style that was developed after several renovations and additions.

The castle dates back to the 13th century and was originally a fortress. It wasn't until the 14th century that Castle Blatna officially became a Gothic castle. Following this, a three-wing layout was added. Now, the castle exhibits a central courtyard that opens onto a park.

7th–13th centuries: the early settlement
The site has most likely been settled since prehistoric times. According to archaeological investigations, Slavic presence in the area began in the 7th century and permanent settlements can be dated to the 10th century.

The earliest written record of Castle Blatna dates to 1235. In this record, the castle was referred to as a fortress and as the seat of Vyšemír, a member of the lesser nobility. Vyšemír is believed to have been a relative of the Bavors of Strakonice. Castle Blatna was next mentioned in 1241. Here, Blatna had officially acquired the title of castle and was said to be protected by water and home to a private Romanesque chapel (which can still be seen today).

Of these early structures only the foundations of the Romanesque chapel survive. The structure was most likely built between the late 12th and early 13th century. Its remains were excavated in 1926 and can be seen today in the castle courtyard.

13th century: Becoming a castle
Since the early 13th century, Castle Blatna has been linked to various Catholic military orders - knights pledged to protect pilgrims en route to the Holy Land. Castle Blatna, according to legend, once served as regional quarters of the Knights Templar.

There are also substantiated records that indicate a connection between Castle Blatna and the Knights Hospitaller. The Bavors of Strakonice were closely involved with the Order, granting it part of Strakonice castle in 1243. This family is believed have initiated the architectural transformation of the wooden fortress into a grander abode.

The Bavor family acquired the castle in the 13th century and turned it into two palaces enclosed by a stone wall. The construction of the moat is also believed to date from this period. This moat still exists today, though the defences have since been substantially transformed.

15th century: Gothic renovations
In 1403, due to the end of the male line of the Bavor family, their relatives, the Rožmital family, inherited Castle Blatna. The castle underwent significant renovations under Jan of Rožmital, the first of the Rožmital family to be lord of Blatna. He transformed Blatna from a Romanesque building into a Gothic fortress with a fortified tower at the castle entrance. This period of the region's history is relatively unstable: it is characterised by the Hussite Wars. Despite this, the castle was not seized by the Hussite nobility, but remained in the hands of the Rožmital family. Jaroslav Lev and his brother, Protiva, held Blatna after their father’s death in 1430. As the family was related to King George of Poděbrady, both of these men were given government positions; Jaroslav Lev held the role of Lord Chamberlain. In this capacity, he led a delegation of forty Bohemian lords and knights as they travelled between the courts of Europe between 1465 and 1467 in an effort to promote peace in Bohemia.

Jaroslav Lev’s travels inspired him to renovate the castle at Blatna. Under his supervision, extensive renovations were carried out in an attempt to restyle the castle in Late Gothic style. This gave the castle a distinctive angled doorway, a rectangular entrance tower and a Gothic chapel. Jaroslav Lev's study, located in the top of the tower at the entrance to the castle, was decorated with Renaissance frescoes. In 1508, his son Zdeněk Lev attained the office of High Burgrave at the court of Vladislav Jagellonsky. He was fond of luxury, thus he spent lavishly on remodelling his residences at the castle. The Rejt Palace, a three-story gothic renaissance building, was built as a result. It was designed by a well-known architect of the time, after whom the palace is named: Benedikt Rejt. Rejt previously worked on the Vladislav Hall at Prague Castle and the Cathedral of St. Barbara in Kutná Hora as part of the King’s service.

16th–18th centuries: changing hands and turbulent years
Zdeněk’s’s grandson Adam Lev later inherited the debts amassed by his spending along with the estate. Due to this, in 1555, Adam Lev was forced to sell the castle, and the entire town of Blatna, to the sisters Katerina and Anna Repicky from Sudoměř. In 1560, Blatna was then sold to Zdeněk of Sternberg, Katerina’s husband. Two years following Sternberg’s death, in 1577, the Blatna was sold to Jan of Rozdražov, a member of the old Polish family: the Counts of Rozdražov. Unfortunately, he died soon after purchasing the castle. The castle was then inherited by his son Vaclav of Rozdražov, and was owned by him for many years. He was instrumental in the construction of the last of Blatna’s palace structures: the Renaissance Rozdražov Palace. It was built on the north side of the wall from the entrance tower, near the Old Palace.

Both the Bohemian Revolt, from 1618 to 1620, and the Thirty Years' War, from 1618 to 1648, interrupted improvements to the Blatna estate. During the military uprising by the Bohemian Estates, led by Ernst von Mansfeld, the castle, town, and its inhabitants were all severely looted. During this time, Blatna’s owner, Vaclav of Rozdražov fled to Silesia in 1622. He died there in 1625, never to return to the castle. Anna Maries, his widow, returned to Blatna with their young son František Ignac at Blatna. He took over management of the castle in 1645.

In 1691, František Ignac died without an heir. This ended the male line of the Rozdražov family, necessitating his estates to be passed onto his sister Anna Katerina’s son Count Jan František Kolowrat-Krakowsky. He quickly sold his new inheritance to Countess Ernestina Serényi. The Hungarian Serényi owned Castle Blatna from 1695 to the end of the 18th century. This period saw a catastrophic fire at the castle which necessitated serious repairs to be completed between 1763 and 1767. During the Serényi tenure at Blatna, the Baroque Period began. This was marked by many Baroque statues in the town, the magnificently renovated church in nearby Paštiky, and the Baroque-inspired renovation of the Rozdražov wing. In 1798, a Tyrolean noble, Wenzel Karl (Václav Karel) Hildprandt von Ottenhausen, purchased the Blatna from the Serényi family as they had no heirs.



19th–21st centuries: the Hildprandts and communist rule
Blatna has remained in the possession of the Hildprandt family until the present day, except for a forced interruption during the Communist period, when the castle was confiscated by the government. Franz (František) Hildprandt began an extensive repurposing of the castle in order to create both a representative seat and comfortable living quarters. Robert Hildprandt later oversaw renovations from 1850 to 1856, in the Romantic-style Neo-Gothic. These were designed by architect Bernard Grüber of Munich. These renovations gave the building its current look.

There is a granite plaque commemorating Jan Evangelista Purkyne, a notable Czech physician, on the left-hand side of the entrance to the castle courtyard. He lived at Castle Blatna and served as tutor to the family of Baron Franz Hildprandt from 1810 to 1813.

The castle was taken over by the National Heritage Commission in the late 1940s before being confiscated by the Communist government. The owner of the castle at that time, Friedrich (Bedřich) Hildprandt, and his wife Cornelia and their daughters were allowed to legally emigrate to Ethiopia in 1958 due to the family’s ties to Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia. The relics of the family’s time in Ethiopia are also exhibited in the castle. The family returned to reclaim the castle in 1992. It was restored to its rightful owner Cornelia, as her husband, Friedrich Hildprandt, had passed away in the interim. She shared ownership with her two daughters, Josefine and Jana. Jana’s son, Stephanos Germinis-Hildprandt, is the current manager of the estate. The family sought to open the castle's doors to visitors.

Castle interior
The castle interiors feature many hunting trophies, most of which were acquired by Ferdinand Hildprandt in the early twentieth century, as he was an enthusiastic hunter. Within the castle, chairs, tables, chandeliers, and cigar boxes are some of the many furniture items that can be found crafted from fallow deer antlers.

Some of the oldest surviving internal features of the castle include a mediaeval lavatory and the well-preserved frescoes in the tower’s Green Chamber, which date to the 15th century.

The castle also contains pieces gifted by Marie Louise, wife of Napoleon, to Sophia von Klebelsberg, upon her marriage to Francis Hildprant. One of such gifts is a large wooden sledge in the Rococo-style.

Myths and legends
According to one common legend, there was once a golden henhouse hidden in the castle. It contained twelve golden chickens guarded by black marans. A scribe allegedly went searching for this treasure and discovered a mural in the banquet hall that depicted a procession of Templars. It is believed that he found the treasure and took it away with him as he soon after disappeared from Blatna forever.

Castle Blatna also has its own version of the common White Lady ghost story. It is said that while building the large tower, the Rožmitál family encountered several problems. One day, a local witch promised the family that the tower would be finished if they were to imprison a young female virgin within the stone walls. This they did, and the tower was completed. Since then, many have claimed to see the ghost of this young girl walking the corridors of the castle.

Castle park


The castle courtyard is connected to a large English park with an extensive game reserve. In the 17th century this park was one of the largest in Bohemia. The park was made into the English style by Francis Hildprandt in the late 19th century - it is also home to many centuries-old oak trees. In 1815, during the Napoleonic Wars, Francis Hildprandt employed locals to build an artificial cave. The park also once contained an orangery, hunting lodge, and a Swiss house, though none of these structures remain. The castle park currently houses a herd of tame fallow deer, a number of peacocks, and three alpacas.

In popular culture
Castle Blatna and its surroundings have appeared in a number of films:


 * The White Lady (Bílá paní) (1965, director: Zdeněk Podskalský)
 * The Incredibly Sad Princess (Šíleně smutná princezna) (1968, director: Bořivoj Zeman)
 * Dívka s flétnou (2007, director: Jaroslav Hanuš)
 * Křišťálek meč (2007, director: Jitka Němcová)