The Náměšť Castle awaits the repair of the facades and the bridge with restored statues

Náměšť nad Oslavou - The castle in Náměšť nad Oslavou is set to undergo a façade renovation of its southern wing in the coming years. According to caretaker Marek Buš, this must be preceded by the drainage of the entrance bridge, through which water is leaking into the façades. Work is currently being done on the project documentation. The repair costs are estimated by the caretaker to be in the tens of millions of Czech crowns. So far, the bridge has been restored with sculptural decoration worked on by academic sculptor Jan Korecký.

The sculptures depicting a sphinx, a horse, and an eagle are made of limestone. According to Korecký, it was commonly used in Moravia and southern Bohemia, brought from Austria. It is soft and easily workable, allowing for the capture of even fine details. However, it is quickly degraded by acidic rain. The surface protective coating, which is meant to protect the work from weather effects, should be renewed every five years, according to Korecký.

The sculptures have been standing on a three-arched bridge over the castle moat since at least 1745. They were created by sculptor Josef Winterhalder the Elder. The restoration, which began in March, cost 380,000 crowns. The costs were covered by European subsidies.

The restoration of the façades of the southern wing will be significantly more expensive, as they are well visible from the town in the valley and from the baroque bridge over the Oslava River, which is currently undergoing reconstruction as well. "My rough estimate for the façades, including the windows that are there, is 20 to 30 million crowns," Buš said.

The state castle has been under the territorial administration of the National Heritage Institute in České Budějovice for seven years. During this time, the winter garden, original terrace, and garden gazebo underwent repairs. The most expensive was the restoration and renovation of the entrance wing, bay windows, and inner courtyard from 2017 and 2018, which cost over 17 million crowns.

The first written mention of Náměšť dates back to 1234 when it belonged to the lords of Lomnice. Significant owners during the Renaissance were the Žerotíns, who transformed the castle into an extensive palace. After them, the estate was managed by the Vartenbergs. In 1752, the estate was acquired by the highest chancellor of the Kingdom of Bohemia, Count Bedřich Vilém Haugwitz. The same family owned the castle until the end of World War II. Based on the Beneš Decrees, they were then forced to leave the castle. Subsequently, part of it was converted into a Moravian summer residence for President Edvard Beneš.