zámek Hukovice

Hukovice Chateau sits in the middle of the village of Hukovice, part of the municipality of Bartošovice in the Nový Jičín district of Moravia, and although it now serves as a private residence, its story stretches back to the Middle Ages.

Where did this building come from?

A fortified Gothic manor house originally stood on the site, most likely built around 1447 by the Reisenburg family. The name Hukovice already appears in records from 1411 in connection with Lacek z Kravař, showing that the settlement carried some weight even in the late medieval period. Back then the fortress served as a defensible seat for local landowners, a common arrangement in this part of Moravia.

How did a fortress become a Baroque chateau?

The turning point came at the close of the 17th century. Between 1697 and 1704 the new owner, Jan Arnošt Tetzlern, converted the old stronghold into a more comfortable single-story Baroque residence. Seven representative living rooms were created, and the estate developed a working farm around it, including sizeable cattle-breeding facilities and outbuildings. It was a typical move for the era — trading a bare defensive fortress for a stately country seat.

What happened to the chateau in the 19th century?

The next major phase came under the Czeik (Čejka) family, who gave the building a Classicist character and added an extra story to improve living comfort. In 1863 the estate passed, through marriage, to the Skrbenský family. It was here in Hukovice that Jan Evangelista Lev Skrbenský z Hříště was born that same year — an archbishop remembered as the last aristocratic archbishop in the region's church history, a fact that still sets this small chateau apart from other Moravian residences.

What does the chateau look like today?

The building is a two-story rectangular structure topped with a mansard roof, carrying Art Nouveau touches added during later renovations. The postwar period was not kind to it: modernization introduced new window openings that differ noticeably from the original facade layout, and the original carriage portal was bricked up. Building materials used at the time also clash with the character of a historic residence.

Who looks after the chateau now?

In the 1990s the property was returned through restitution to Ladislav Hodura, its current owner, who has since carried out gradual restoration work aimed at recovering some of the chateau's lost character. It remains private property and is not open to the public as a regular museum exhibit, but its silhouette and history still make it a worthwhile stop when exploring the historic sites of the Nový Jičín district.

Frequently asked questions

Can you visit Hukovice Chateau? The chateau is privately owned and does not operate as a regularly open tourist attraction; it can mainly be viewed from the outside while walking through the village of Hukovice.

How old is the chateau? Its origins date to around 1447, when a Gothic fortress stood on the site. Its present, essentially Baroque form comes from the 1697–1704 rebuilding.

What is the chateau's connection to the Catholic Church? Archbishop Jan Evangelista Lev Skrbenský z Hříště was born here in 1863; he went down in history as the region's last aristocratic archbishop.

Why does the chateau look different from old photographs? Postwar modernization altered the window arrangement and bricked over the original portal, changing the facade considerably compared with its original Baroque form.