Dolní Kounice
- Clasificación
- Castillo
- País
- Chequia
- Región
- Brno-venkov
- Dirección
- Zámecká 1a, 664 64 Dolní Kounice
The castle at Dolní Kounice was remodelled from an original fortress for the better protection of the Premonstratensian monastery of Rosa Coeli before 1330. After the dissolution of the monastery the castle fell to King Ferdinand I, who in 1537 sold it to the Vice-Chancellor of the Kingdom of Bohemia, Jiří Žabka of Limberg. Jiří Žabka had the Gothic castle converted in the Renaissance style, although the building retained many of its Gothic and fortification features. In 1562 Zikmund Prakšický of Zástřizlí acquired the larger part of the heavily indebted Dolní Kounice estate; in 1578 his sons sold it to Zdeněk Lev of Rožmitál and Blatná, who ten years later sold the estate to Bernard Drnovský of Drnovic, under whom further rebuilding works were carried out. The Drnovský of Drnovic family held Dolní Kounice until 1622, when the castle was confiscated from them and subsequently sold to Cardinal František Dietrichstein. Under the Dietrichsteins, Dolní Kounice still served at least as the seat of the estate administration, but after 1862, when through marriage it passed to the Herbersteins, the castle served only agricultural purposes and gradually fell into decline. After the land reform of 1918 it passed into non-noble hands. In 1945, during the liberation of Dolní Kounice, it was damaged. In 1945 JUDr. Václav Edl became the new owner. The castle was, however, nationalised fairly soon thereafter and managed by a state farm. The castle subsequently served as a vocational training centre and boarding house. In 1992 the castle was returned in restitution to the Edl family and was promptly sold to a private company owned by Dr. Ing. František Zoubek (L.V.P.), which still holds it. From 2006 the current owner began an extensive reconstruction and the gradual opening of the castle to visitors. Although the entire complex deteriorated considerably during the 20th century and some valuable features were damaged, the castle and chateau at Dolní Kounice is today one of the most valuable Gothic-Renaissance monuments in Moravia, progressively being restored and brought back to life.
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