Slavkov u Brna - Austerlitz
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Slavkov u Brna - Austerlitz |
Slavkov u Brna - Austerlitz
The town – known as Austerlitz in abroad – is wedded not only with the well known ”Three Emperors Battle” from December of 1805, but also with the rich history of hoary clan of Kounic. Slavkov’s baroque château with monumental look is a work of Italian and local architects and constructors. The construction of the château was worked out by the project of the considerable architect Domenico Martinelli of Lucca later conditioned by architect Valmaggini and constructor Petruzzi and took more than 50 years. It had begun in late nineties of 17th century and finished in the sixties of 18th century. Considerable Italian sculptor Giovanni Giuliani participated on the sculptural decoration of the château.
Absolute unique interior room of the château is central oval saloon that was projected and constructed by Valmaggini. Beside the space and sound incomparability of the saloon especially the magnificent fresco painting decoration of the famous Vienna’s painter Josef Pichler will take your attention. Josef Pichler is also the author of frescos in the Sv. Køíž chapel (St. Cross) that is located in the south side (opened on 1993). The base of the château installation is the gallery in the period interiors. The exhibited works had been a part of very rich Kounic’s collections of art in 17th and 18th centuries.
The historical museum that is placed in the château prepared standalone exposition in the north side of the castle. The permanent exhibition of the Austerlitz battle December, 2nd, 1805 describes the history that belongs to the château, town and countryside.
Dominik Ondrej Kounic had started the construction of the baroque château about 1700. The château is placed on the border of the wide park. At present the park is designed in natural way. The major line of the original park, that had been prepared onto the man-made bank behind the town, descending the cascade terraces into the water canal. The line ended in the alley in the country on the opposite hill. The inner part of the park was sectionalized with small basins, labyrinth, water canals and accomplished with rich sculptural decoration of Giovanni Giuliani. The flower parterre with the fountain of D. William and orangeries decorated with the frescos of A. Lanzani was built-up also in the age of Dominik Ondrej. The famous architect E.A. Carbonnier worked here at 1714. When the château was finished (in 1774) the park was more extended with the areas of pulled down church and town’s tower. On the upper parterre three fountain was build up and also the project of the bank was modified. The complete area of the park was closed with the four row alleys. The large scale project of the park touches the town and creates the integral complex of the château and its vicinity. Later the park was modified in the more simple way of English style. The château’s park at Slavkov u Brna (with the area of 15.37 hectares) is the most significant area of the historical gardens in Moravia.