Hukvaldy
Encyclopedia
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, in the Moravian-Silesian Region
Moravian-Silesian Region
Moravian-Silesian Region , or Moravo-Silesian Region, is one of 14 administrative Regions of the Czech Republic, until May 2001 it was formerly called the Ostrava Region . The region is located in the north-eastern part of its historical region of Moravia and in most of the Czech part of the...
. Population: 1,900. It lies 150m below the ruins of the third largest castle in the Czech Republic, Hukvaldy Castle (Hrad Hukvaldy), and is the birthplace of the composer Leoš Janáček
Leoš Janácek
Leoš Janáček was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and all Slavic folk music to create an original, modern musical style. Until 1895 he devoted himself mainly to folkloristic research and his early musical output was influenced by...
and palaeontologist Ferdinand Stoliczka
Ferdinand Stoliczka
Ferdinand Stoliczka was a Moravian palaeontologist who worked in India on paleontology, geology and various aspects of zoology. He died of high altitude sickness during an expedition across the Himalayas.-Early life:Stoliczka was born at the lodge Zámeček near Kroměříž in Moravia...
.
The castle has been rebuilt at least five times over 700 years, evolving from a small early gothic castle to a baroque fortress. It was first built in 1260-1270 by Mr. Frank from Příbor. He was the son of the colonizer Arnold from family of Huckeswagen. The castle has never been conquered, probably because of the location and the massive fortress. The oldest part is an oval with many walls and a tall slim tower in the front. Above the ditch and entrance to the castle there is a dwelling building on the other side of palace. After 1469 the castle was completely rebuilt by the bishop Tas from Boskovice. In the 20th century the castle was abandoned and it fell into ruins. In 1762 there was a big fire in the castle and it was completely destroyed. A lot of repairs were made, but the castle is still undergoing restoration. The best preserved structure is the St. Andrew´s chapel, where many concerts take place, enhanced by the excellent acoustics. There is also the possibility of being married in the chapel. The castle is administered by Fond Janáčkovy Hukvaldy and is open from March until October. Nearby is a park where we can see mouflons, and there is also an amphitheatre.