Enthusiasts are restoring the devastated castle near Domažlice, aiming to breathe new life into it

Čečovice - Enthusiasts are repairing the devastated castle in Čečovice near Domažlice and aim to breathe new life into it. The reconstruction will require 80 to 90 million crowns. In 2005, a ten million crown grant from the Ministry of Culture helped shelter all three wings, in 2017 the castle received new gates, in 2018 some new windows, and it was statically secured, costing an additional 1.5 million crowns. Miroslava Šusová from the Ladislav Lábek Club, a basic organization of the Czech Heritage Preservation Society with seven members, told ČTK about this. This year and next year, they will renovate the first room for 600,000 CZK for lectures, concerts, and weddings.

The castle was taken over by enthusiasts in 1998 when a demolition order was issued for it. "It was in a dilapidated state, damaged by weather influences and a fire in 1990. Our effort is to make the community a well-known cultural, social, and touristy attractive center in the region and to attract Czech and German enthusiasts for monuments and cultural events," said Šusová. The southern wing is in a deplorable condition, supported from below, lacking floors and ceilings. The castle on a green meadow has no water, sewage, there are no doors or facilities, and the staircase from the courtyard is missing. "The castle is already statically secured, held by struts, framing, and the roof, part of it is supported by poles, it won't fall anymore," she stated.

To access subsidies, the association needs funds for co-financing, for which it organizes cultural events. The first event of the year was a country ball, at which they raised 55,000 CZK. "We will use a grant of 500,000 crowns that we received from the Rural Development Program through the MAS Radbuza for the most beautiful room on the first floor of the castle. Last year we did the walls, this year the cornice, and next year in spring the floors," said Šusová. They aim to raise the second part of the co-financing, amounting to 120,000 crowns, at the festival on August 26.

In the adjacent granary with baroque columns over two floors, the club organizes exhibitions and participates in the West Bohemian Baroque event in June. In the neighboring Gothic church of St. Nicholas, which is a national cultural monument, they hold benefit concerts. "We have been supported by, for example, the Spiritual Quintet, Václav Hudeček, Štěpán Rak, Matěj Rak, Jaroslav Hutka, and many others," she said.

The reconstruction of the castle is supported by the Ministry of Culture, the Plzeň Region, MAS Radbuza, and in 2015 by the English foundation The Friends of Czech Heritage. "We don't have a single sponsor. We get our finances solely from visitors," said Šusová. She could not estimate how long the renovation of the monument would take. The association could obtain more funds from grants, but it would not have the mandatory co-financing.

Čečovice is located 15 kilometers from Domažlice, with 90 residents. It was first mentioned in 1356. Even then, a Gothic fortress stood on the site of the castle, which is largely preserved in the granary. The monument underwent reconstruction in the 16th and 17th centuries. A number of significant noble families held it - the Lords of Bukovce, Velhartic, the Rosenbergs, the Popels of Lobkovice, and the Trauttsmansdorffs. After the land reform, the castle was sold as a residual estate and was confiscated after 1948. It was further used by a cooperative, and in 1990, it burned down.