In Brno, there will be an exhibition of unique projects from the Slavkov Castle

Brno - The Moravian Gallery in Brno will likely exhibit restored architectural projects of the castle in Slavkov near Brno next year, which was built in the early 18th century by the Italian Baroque architect Domenico Martinelli (1650 to 1718). The structure was meant to be the largest castle complex in Central Europe. However, the plans remained only in Martinelli's thoughts and on paper. The projects belong to a museum in Milan, which is currently negotiating their loan to the Czech Republic, said art historian Jiří Kroupa from Masaryk University in Brno to CTK today.
Martinelli was one of the greatest architects of his time. Slavkov was built for the imperial court office of Dominik Ondřej Kounic (1654 to 1705). The complex was to be equivalent to the contemporary papal residence. Kounic, as one of the most important figures of the Habsburg monarchy at the time, could afford it. According to Martinelli's vision, the castle was largely constructed. Then Kounic died, and the estate was taken over by his son, who no longer had an interest in building the giant residence.
The Milan museum holds about 50 of Martinelli's projects. For experts and heritage enthusiasts, the most interesting architectural plans are those from Slavkov. They were in very poor condition. However, they have been successfully restored. They will be exhibited in Milan from December to March. Then the entire exhibition, which also includes sketches of other Baroque buildings from Moravia, is to move to Brno.
Martinelli's projects show that the Slavkov castle was also supposed to have towers. The entrance to the castle was to look different. During the construction of the residence, half of the then Slavkov was to be demolished. In front of the castle, there was a plan for a square with a church and farm buildings. The complex was to be surrounded by gardens created in the Italian style.
Thousands of tourists visit the Slavkov castle each year. The main attraction is the Napoleonic exhibition. In its historic hall, Emperor Napoleon signed a truce with Austrian Emperor Francis I and Russian Tsar Alexander I in 1805 after his triumph in the Battle of Slavkov.