The picturesque classicist chateau surrounded by a large English park is located in the village of Čechy pod Kosířem. The famous Czech painter Josef Mánes was a friend of the local count's family and regularly visited the chateau to create his works. The largest collection of his paintings presented to the public in the Czech Republic is organically incorporated in the chateau interiors. But that is not all. You will also find a film exhibition dedicated to the work of father and son Svěrák or an exhibition of historic bicycles. In short, Bohemia pod Kosířem is an ideal destination for a trip.
The castle is linked to the noble family of Silva Tarouca. Visitors can enjoy a classic chateau exhibition reminding the life of the last chateau lords, supplemented by a collection of paintings by the painter Josef Mánes, which is unparalleled in the Czech Republic. Josef Mánes lived and worked in Bohemia pod Kosířem from 1849 to 1870. The chateau park, which covers an area of 21.5 ha, is one of the most valuable romantic landscapes in the Czech Republic.
In addition to the castle exhibition, visitors can see an unusual film exhibition of the father and son of Svěrák, in which you will see exhibits from several films on which both filmmakers worked. The dark blue world is reminiscent of several model airplanes, Kuky's a larger-than-life car, and the Municipal School a bench with a blackboard and a mannequin of teacher Igor Hnízda. In addition to film props, visitors can see films about films, film posters, scripts and sketches for films.
Another visitor attraction is also an exhibition of historic bicycles.
Visitors can also enjoy the café and the red observation tower in the castle park.
The chateau park with its many valuable trees can be visited with a guided tour.
As early as the 14th century, a Gothic water fortress surrounded by two ponds stood on the site of the present-day chateau, which disappeared in the 15th century, but a new Renaissance fortress was built on the same site in the second half of the 16th century. At the beginning of the 18th century the fortress was owned by the Lichtenstein family, who had it rebuilt into a Baroque four-winged chateau. In 1768 the estate of Čechy pod Kosířem fell into the hands of Manuel Telez da Silva de Menezes e Castro, Count Tarouca, who was an important politician of the Habsburg monarchy and an advisor to Maria Theresa. His successors from the Silva Tarouca family rebuilt the chateau in a classical style and the park was also transformed into a contemporary English-style landscape. In 1949 the castle and the entire property of the Siva Tarouca family was expropriated by the Czechoslovak state. Between 1953 and 2005 a children's home was established in the castle.
Since 2008, the Olomouc Region has been the owner of the castle and the park, and its management has been entrusted to the Museum of Homeland History in Olomouc. The chateau underwent extensive reconstruction and reopened to the public in 2016.
The family property was taken over in 1846 by August Alexander, who was a fan of the painter Josef Mánes, who often visited the chateau between 1849 and 1871, drew themes for his work and created over a hundred works of art here (e.g. Líbánky na Hané, Ukolébavka, the cycle Life at the Manor House, etc.). Mánes also worked on architectural designs and his "handwriting" can be found, for example, on the decoration of the facade of the chateau orangery and he also participated in the design of the chateau chapel.
Must see - Carriage museum and the firefighters' museum. The village of Čechy pod Kosířem is located in the western part of the Velký Kosíř Nature Park, which is dominated by the peak of the same name with a lookout tower. The Mánes Trail still runs through the nature park and leads to the spa village of Slatinice.