Veltrusy Mansion

Veltrusy Mansion is a Baroque chateau in the town of Veltrusy in the Central Bohemian Region, standing on the banks of the Vltava River about 25 km north of Prague. The mansion is open to the public, and visitors can join guided tours of the interior and the surrounding park.

Who built the mansion at Veltrusy?

The residence was built in 1716 to a design by architect František Maxmilián Kaňka, commissioned by Count Václav Antonín Chotek. Kaňka gave the building its distinctive Baroque layout, centred on a dome around which the whole palace-and-park complex later developed.

How was the mansion expanded?

In 1764 the building was enlarged on the orders of Count Rudolf Chotek, who brought in architect Giovanni Battista Alliprandi to carry out the work. Rudolf Chotek also commissioned the interior decoration, giving the residence the representative character befitting the family's standing at the Habsburg court.

What makes the park at Veltrusy notable?

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Chotek family steadily expanded the grounds around the mansion into a large English-style landscape park. Planting of the park in its current form began in 1789, to a design by the Viennese botanist Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin, director of the Imperial Garden at Schönbrunn. The park was filled with romantic classicist pavilions, a network of waterways, and bridges linking its different sections. At its peak, the Veltrusy park ranked among the largest landscape parks in Central Europe.

What happened to the mansion after 1945?

The estate remained in the hands of the Chotek family until 1945, when it was confiscated by the Czechoslovak state. It has been under public administration ever since.

How did the 2002 flood affect the chateau?

The flooding that struck the Czech Republic in 2002 devastated both the mansion building and the entire park. Damage was estimated at 270 million Czech crowns, making Veltrusy the most severely affected heritage site in the country in terms of the scale and extent of the destruction.

What did the restoration involve?

Restoration work was carried out by the Národní památkový ústav (National Heritage Institute), which administers the property. Initial efforts focused on securing the building's structure and repairing the roofs and roof trusses. A key stage was the repair of the main staircase, whose structural integrity had been compromised by the flood, along with the reconstruction of the roof truss beneath the main dome above the state hall — work that required suspending the entire ceiling, frescoes and stucco decoration included. Historic wallpapers were also restored, along with the mansion's carriage house and its gates. The rebuilt main floor of the mansion reopened to visitors on 24 July 2021, nearly two decades after the flood.

Can visitors tour the mansion today?

Yes, Veltrusy Mansion is open to the public, with guided tours covering the interior, and visitors can also walk through the surrounding landscape park, with its waterways, bridges and pavilions.

Frequently asked questions

Who designed Veltrusy Mansion? The original building was designed in 1716 by architect František Maxmilián Kaňka for Count Václav Antonín Chotek.

How far is Veltrusy from Prague? The mansion stands about 25 km north of Prague, on the banks of the Vltava River in the Central Bohemian Region.

When was the landscape park created? Planting of the English-style park began in 1789, to a design by botanist Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin.

How much damage did the 2002 flood cause? Losses were estimated at 270 million Czech crowns, making Veltrusy the most severely damaged heritage site in the Czech Republic at the time.

When did the mansion reopen after restoration? The main representative floor reopened to visitors on 24 July 2021.