Čechy pod Kosířem Chateau

Čechy pod Kosířem Chateau is a Neoclassical residence at the foot of Kosíř hill in the Haná region of the Olomouc Region, set within one of the most valuable historic landscape parks in Moravia. The estate is best known for two things: the Silva-Tarouca family, who shaped it for over a century and a half, and painter Josef Mánes, who returned here repeatedly and produced some of the most important works of 19th-century Czech painting.

How did the estate begin?

The earliest fortified settlement here dates to the mid-14th century, when a Gothic water fortress surrounded by two ponds stood on the site. It vanished in the 15th century, and a Renaissance stronghold rose in its place in the late 16th. Around 1700 the estate belonged to the House of Liechtenstein, who rebuilt it into a four-wing Baroque chateau — the layout later transformations built on.

Where did the Silva-Tarouca family come from?

In 1768 the estate was bought by Count Emanuel Telez da Silva de Menezes e Castro Tarouca, a descendant of a Portuguese noble family whose father had served as Portugal's envoy to Vienna. The count was himself a trusted advisor to Empress Maria Theresa. The family, known for its passion for landscape gardening — it later produced the founder of the famous park at Průhonice — held the estate until the end of the Second World War. Between 1839 and 1846 the chateau took on the Neoclassical, "modernized Italian" look it still has today.

Why is the chateau linked to Josef Mánes?

August Alexander Silva-Tarouca, who took over the estate in 1846, was a close friend and patron of the painter Josef Mánes. The artist visited regularly between 1849 and 1871, drawing inspiration for more than a hundred works, including "Líbánky na Hané" ("Honeymoon in Haná"), "Ukolébavka" ("Lullaby") and the cycle "Život na panském sídle" ("Life at the Manor"). His studio stood in a Neoclassical pavilion built in 1840–1843 that still carries his name, and he also designed the decoration of the pseudo-Gothic orangery built in 1853. The chateau interiors now hold the largest public collection of his paintings in the Czech Republic, and a memorial room for him opened as early as 1957, even though the building served a very different purpose at the time.

What survives of the park, and how did it grow?

The chateau park, covering 21.5 hectares, grew in stages: from Renaissance fortifications, through an early-18th-century Baroque garden layout, to a romantic landscape redesign between 1809 and 1872. In its final phase, from 1872 to 1936, it was enriched with plants brought from the Dendrological Garden at Průhonice, mostly conifers and exotic species from Asia and America. Today visitors can see two ponds, the pseudo-Gothic Red Tower lookout, and the Mánes Pavilion mentioned above.

What happened in the 20th century, and what is there to see now?

After 1949 the property was nationalized, and between 1953 and 2005 the building housed a children's home. Since 2008 the chateau and park have belonged to the Olomouc Region, managed by the Regional Museum in Olomouc. After years of reconstruction, it reopened to the public on 2 April 2016. Visitors today can tour the interiors with the Mánes collection, walk the park, and see temporary exhibitions, including ones on the filmmaking work of Jan and Zdeněk Svěrák.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Čechy pod Kosířem Chateau located? At the foot of Kosíř hill, in the village of Čechy pod Kosířem in the Olomouc Region, not far from Prostějov.

Which family owned the chateau the longest? The Silva-Tarouca family, of Portuguese descent, held the estate from 1768 until it was nationalized in 1949.

What is the chateau's connection to Josef Mánes? The painter was a close friend of the family and visited regularly between 1849 and 1871, creating over a hundred works here; the chateau now holds the largest public collection of his paintings in the country.

Since when has the chateau been open to visitors? It reopened to the public on 2 April 2016, following reconstruction.

What is worth seeing in the park? Two ponds, the pseudo-Gothic Red Tower, and the Neoclassical Mánes Pavilion, plus a tree collection partly sourced from Průhonice.