Karlova Koruna
- Classification
- Château
- Pays
- Tchéquie
- Région
- Hradec Králové
- Adresse
- Pražská 1, 503 51 Chlumec Nad Cidlinou Královehradecký
Karlova Koruna at Chlumec nad Cidlinou is regarded as one of the summits of illusionist Baroque in Bohemia. The chateau forms a striking landmark in the landscape and has been inscribed on the list of immovable cultural monuments of the Czech Republic since 1964. The first noble seat at Chlumec nad Cidlinou was a manor recorded in 1424. At the beginning of the 17th century it passed, together with the entire estate, into the possession of the Kinský family, and when the estate was inherited by Count František Ferdinand Kinský (1668–1747), he began to contemplate a new residence. The construction of the new chateau, for which he engaged outstanding artists of his day — the architect Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel and the builder František Maxmilián Kaňka — took place between 1721 and 1723. The chateau received its name partly after Emperor Charles VI, who visited the magnificent new structure in 1723, shortly after being crowned in Prague. The second part of the name derives from the plan form chosen by the builders: the building itself resembles the shape of a royal crown. The construction of the new chateau was above all an expression of the social and economic standing of the Kinský family, and from the outset it served primarily for the representation of its owners. In a later period, when the estate was managed by Josef Leopold (1764–1831), the chateau became a cultural centre: theatre was performed, music played, and at the end of the 18th century the Kinský family also maintained their own ensemble here. At the end of the 19th century the chateau was altered to designs by the architect Ludvík Jan Lábler. Between 1927 and 1928, under Zdeněk Radslav Kinský, external alterations to the chateau were carried out in a historicising style. During the occupation the chateau was seized by the Germans, and in December 1943 a major fire caused severe damage during incautious thawing of water pipes. After 1948 the chateau was held by the Czechoslovak state, and a costly reconstruction was begun to designs by architects J. Buška and V. Kvasnička, which was completed in 1969. The chateau was then opened to the public and a permanent exhibition, "Baroque in Bohemia", was installed. In 1992 the property was returned in restitution to the original owners, the Kinský family. The accessible chateau exhibition presents the history of the Kinský family and horse breeding at Chlumec. The family estate is currently owned by Giovanni and Pio Kinský dal Borgo.