Castle of Dux
Encyclopedia
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
located about 8 km from Litvínov
Litvínov
Litvínov is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. The largest oil refinery in the Czech Republic is located there. Models Eva Herzigová and Iva Frühlingová come from Litvínov. The HC Litvínov ice hockey club is based in the town....
, in northern Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
, Czech Republic.
History
The castle was founded as a fort in the 13th century by the Hrabišic family, which resided at Castle OsekOsek
Osek may refer to several places in the Czech Republic:* Osek , town in the Teplice District* Osek , village in the Beroun District* Osek , village in the Jičín District...
. Not earlier than 1527, the Lobkowicz
Lobkowicz
The Lobkowicz family is one of the oldest still existing Bohemian noble families dating back to the 14th century...
family replaced the fort with a one-wing Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
palace. Marie Polyxena of Talmberk and Lobkowicz, the daughter of the František Josef of Lobkowicz, the last member of the family, married Maxmillian, Count of Waldstein in 1642. Their son Jan Bedřich, Count of Waldstein, later the Archbishop of Prague
Archbishop of Prague
The following is a list of bishops and archbishops of Prague. The bishopric of Prague was established in 973, and elevated to an archbishopric on 30 April 1344. The today's Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Prague is the continual successor of the bishoprie established in 973...
, was apprised with the French architect and painter Jean Baptiste Mathey
Jean Baptiste Mathey
Jean Baptiste Mathey was a French architect and painter born in Dijon.Between 1675 and 1694 Mathey enjoyed a remarkable career in which his French planning and devotion to classical rationality were a conscious artistic challenge to established taste.Mathey was commissioned by the Archbishop of...
, and brought him to Duchcov
Duchcov
Duchcov is a town in the Teplice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has a population exceeding 9,000 and is located at the foot of the Ore Mountains....
for the purpose of rebuilding the castle.
Mathey designed a huge Baroque complex, including a large park and a hospital. The decoration of the castle was provided by the best baroque artists in Bohemia like the sculptors Matyáš Bernard Braun, Ferdinand Maxmilián Brokoff, and painter Václav Vavřinec Reiner
Václav Vavrinec Reiner
Wenzel Lorenz Reiner was a Baroque painter who lived and died in Prague, Bohemia.-External links:* * *...
. Between 1785 and 1798 , Giacomo Casanova
Giacomo Casanova
Giacomo Girolamo Casanova de Seingalt was an Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice. His autobiography, Histoire de ma vie , is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of the customs and norms of European social life during the 18th century...
, the so-called secretary of the 18th century, spent the last thirteen years of his amazing life in Duchcov.
In the 19th century the castle was rebuilt in the classicist style and the garden in the romantic style. The Waldstein family sold the manor to the state and left the castle in 1921. At present the castle is state-owned and open to visitors.