Chateau Velké Losiny - Tourist Information Portal of the Olomouc Region

Chateau Velké Losiny


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Velké Losiny

The rarely preserved interiors of the castle remember the infamous Inquisition trials of alleged witches in the 17th century.

It is one of the leading examples of late Renaissance housing and architecture not only in the Czech Republic but also in Europe. The castle was built in the last quarter of the 16th century by Jan the Younger of Žerotín. He also contributed to the development of the local spa, built a Lutheran church in Losiny and was probably the one who founded the handmade paper mill that is still in operation today.

From the time of Jan the Younger, the chateau has preserved mainly a substantial part of the interior of the large dining room, where the oldest tile stove in Moravia (1585), which Jan built for his wife Andělína Ryšánek of Modřice, stands. The room also has original parquet floors and a painted ceiling creating the illusion of a starry sky. The whole is complemented by carved silver-plated chandeliers from northern Italy.

Not without interest is the tiered sideboard, a unique piece of furniture designed to present gold and silver tableware. The oldest part of the furnishings also includes the bookcases and the library itself, founded by John's brother Bernard at the end of the 16th century. During the 17th century, the Losinj estate escaped the events of the Thirty Years' War, thanks to which the castle has been preserved in its authentic form, including some of the furnishings. The chateau's collection of leather and textile wallpapers, accompanied by several tapestries, is truly unique. Its significance goes beyond the borders of the Czech Republic.

Another valuable collection is the Žerotín family portrait gallery. Also worth mentioning are the two-seater stretchers from the end of the 17th century, the oldest of their kind, and the magnificent Baroque sleigh. At the beginning of the 19th century, the Žerotín family had to sell their indebted estate and the chateau to the Liechtensteins. They subsequently modified a part of the so-called low castle in the Biedermeier style and the castle park acquired its present form. After the fire of the low castle in 1911, electricity and a sophisticated water supply combined with a fire extinguishing system were installed. In 1945 the Liechtenstein family confiscated the castle on the basis of the Benes Decrees.

The Velkolosin estate is also famous for the so-called Inquisition trials, during which 56 people were burned at the stake between 1678 and 1692 for alleged witchcraft and association with the devil. The then inquisitor Heinrich Franz Boblig von Edelstadt's work is described in Jan Kaplický's novel and Otakar Vávra's film The Witches' Hammer.

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Správa státního zámku Velké Losiny
Zámecká 268, 788 15 Velké Losiny