Heritage experts plan to start extensive restoration of the castle in Litomyšl this summer

Litomyšl – Heritage conservators plan to begin extensive restoration of the castle in Litomyšl this summer, which is on the UNESCO list. The external façades with sgraffito should be repaired in particular. Visitor tours will not be limited during the work, said Lucie Bidlasová, spokesperson for the National Heritage Institute in Sychrov, to ČTK.

"Visitors must, of course, take into account that extensive construction and restoration activities will be taking place at the castle, but this should not affect the touring routes," Bidlasová stated. However, according to her, the construction work and scaffolding are likely to deter some tourists from visiting the castle.

The National Heritage Institute announced a competition for the repairs of the castle and the nearby Panský Dům at the end of October last year, with the winner expected to be announced at the turn of March and April. The costs are around half a billion crowns. According to the tender specifications, the first phase of the repairs of the castle and Panský Dům is to be completed by October 2023, and the second phase by October 2027. Part of the costs will be covered by a European grant from the Integrated Regional Operational Program (IROP), and part by funds from the national program for the Care of National Cultural Heritage I.

The repairs include the restoration of the roof structures of the castle and selected internal spaces of the castle. The sgraffito decoration of the external plasterwork of the castle building and the nearby Panský Dům is to be renovated, including the repair of retaining and handrails. Another portion of the funds is to be allocated for the equipment of internal exhibitions.

In the past, the NPÚ was unsuccessful in obtaining European grants for the restoration of the castle and Panský Dům twice. The conservators stated that the projects with the requested funding of over 250 million crowns were well-prepared but particularly suffered because the buildings are not in a state of emergency.

The castle in Litomyšl is a valuable example of the adaptation of an Italian Renaissance palace to the conditions of the sub-Alpine countries. It was built in the 1560s to 1580s by Vratislav of Pernštejn as a gift for his wife, Maria Manrique de Lara. The Pernštejn Renaissance residence was complemented by Baroque modifications in the 17th and 18th centuries made by other owners, the Trauttmansdorff and Waldstein-Wartenberg families, with the participation of leading Baroque artists. A unique feature is the preserved family theater from 1797. The castle was inscribed on the UNESCO list in 1999. Last year, it was visited by more than 29,000 people, while in regular years before the coronavirus pandemic, it used to be around 50,000.