After 25 years of renovations, private owners will open the baroque castle Týnec near Klatovy for the first time

Týnec – After 25 years of renovations, the late Baroque castle in Týnec near Klatovy, dating back to the early 18th century, will open to the public for the first time on the last weekend of March at the foot of Šumava. The monumentally devastated building was purchased in 1999 from the bankruptcy administrator by art collector Jan Pelánek Lazarowitz to save the heritage site and display his collections. However, it took a quarter of a century and cost a quarter of a billion crowns before the castle, declared a national cultural monument in 2014, can finally open to the public. One of the main attractions will be an extensive collection of works by Josef Váchal, the castle owners told journalists today.

"Water was leaking into the building for years, the structure was compromised, details like floors, ceilings, windows, and doors were destroyed. You can start restoring a monument with ten million, but just as easily with three hundred million; a monument of this significance, if you want to adhere to traditional materials, crafts, and historical methods, always deserves the maximum investment," said Pelánek Lazarowitz.

Due to the renovations, the family sold their house and apartment, used all their savings, savings accounts, and pensions, but the building still wasn't in a condition to have the collections moved in and open to the public. Significant help for the renovations came, among others, from grants from the Ministry of Culture and also over 110 million CZK from IROP in 2018, said the owner's wife, Hana Jirmusová Lazarowitz.

The lavish castle, according to her, with its dimensions, would be more suited to Paris or Vienna, was built from 1704 to 1710 by imperial chamberlain Maximilian Norbert Kolowrat Krakowský on green meadows. The construction required part of the village to be relocated, and although Kolowrat was the richest person in the Czech Kingdom at that time, the building indebted his family for four generations, Jirmusová Lazarowitz said. Already in the 19th century, the castle was rented out and partially served as a stable for livestock. It saw a resurgence in the early 20th century when the Týnec Kolowrats returned from exile in the USA, where the future famous racer and pioneer of film art, Saša Kolowrat, grew up. In the 1920s and 30s, the castle was purchased by builder and philanthropist Jaroslav Polívka, and notable artists such as Adolf Loos, Alfons Mucha, Jan and Rafael Kubelík, Karel Hašler, and Josef Váchal frequented Týnec. Since the late 1930s, however, the castle served as headquarters for the German army, briefly as an orphanage, and then was occupied by the Czechoslovak army for decades. After 1989, during attempts to build a hotel and casino, the Baroque roofing was destroyed.

"It's like a child. When you nurture something for 25 years, it's very emotional. The whole building has 5000 square meters and five floors. We had to return the castle to its original state. Ceilings, windows, and doors were missing. The most powerful experience for me was when we brought about 200 new windows two years ago. Suddenly, the castle was closed, the frost and wind couldn't get in, and I could see that the house was happy," said Jirmusová Lazarowitz.

The owners want to dedicate the castle again to art, exhibitions of their collections, as well as exhibitions of contemporary artists and the work of restorers. The main draw will be the collection of Váchal's works. "I believe this is perhaps the most extensive existing collection. We have works from his entire creative period - a complete Šumava, nearly complete ex libris, which amounts to hundreds of pieces, paintings, and other items," stated Jirmusová Lazarowitz. The largest piece is Váchal's five-meter painting "Scattered Thoughts," which hangs above the chapel.

Since only part of the original fresco decoration has been preserved, the owners have invited contemporary artists to create new works on the theme of the sky. There are both contemporary and historicizing paintings, with the largest ceiling painting by Tomáš Císařovský covering over 100 square meters.

The owners do not want to commercially use the castle for accommodation; however, aside from visitor operations and exhibitions, concerts will be held, and weddings can be organized here. Plans include renovating the outbuildings, where an entrance and amenities for visitors will be established in the stable. Over time, the honor courtyard and the six-hectare park, which is now covered by asphalt in a third, will also be renovated.