Z-Art 07 Chateau Raduň

Size:
Height: 25cm
Width: 30cm
Lenght: 32cm
Raduň Chateau is located in Opava district in the North-East of the Czech Republic. The first written document comes from 1413, but there was a fort even before – originally, it was wooden, later it was built of stone. The first documented owner was Buzek of Raduň in 1413. From 1424, the owners were brothers Ota, Mikuláš, Milot and Jan of Raduň. Jan was the most important one - documents state that he had a dispute with the lords of Opava, who later confiscated the fort. Before 1475, Raduň was given to Václav of Tvorkov and after some administrative complications, it was finally confirmed as Tvorkov family property in 1505. They kept this property for many generations. The most significant member of this family was Pertold of Tvorkov, who was a debauched and cruel lord, torturing his servants and leading such a lifestyle that he gradually lost almost all his property.
In 1621, in a rebellion against the Habsburg monarchy, the castle was attacked by the emperor´s troops from Nový Jičín. The troops took Pertold prisoner, plundered the castle, stole all property and destroyed everything so that only bare walls remained. Four years later, Raduň was robbed by Danish troops lead by Mannsfeld, however they did not find any valuables. In rage, they put the buildings on fire, plundered neighboring farms and raped local girls and women.
In 1652, the mansion belonged to Albrecht the count of Vrbno and Bruntál and was inherited by the members of this family till 1780. The first detailed description comes from 1760, when the castle had three wings with a small inner yard, two storeys high, with shingle roofs and two gates. There was a clock tower, the lower storey had arches and there were residential rooms above these. There was a farm, barns, brewery and defense walls. There were two smaller towers with cone roofs in the yard. Food was stored in the basements, servants lived on first floor and the nobles lived on the second floor, but the castle was almost desolated, the nobles seldom visited it and there were only a few servants. In 1780, Raduň was bought by the Moenich family, but there was not much improvement.
Better times came by connecting the Moenich and Larysch families. Jan Larysch-Moenich needed a comfortable and presentable mansion near Opava. The building works began in 1816, the architect was Karel J. English and the builders were Antonín Onderka and Leopold Herman of Bravantice. The renovation took seven years. First, old barns, towers and outer walls were torn down. The main building plasters were removed. Gradually, a new luxury chateau with a garden and an English park were built. Finally, the interiors were renovated. In 19th Century, a sheep farm was built here and in 1830, also the winter garden, administrative building, horse stables, cowsheds, milk storage were added. The old brewery was torn down. In 1884, the chateau had new towers, a gable with two large windows and brick decorations, skylights and a new yard. Exotic plants such as figs or pineapples were growing in the orangery. In 1903, the interiors were equipped with furniture, a new library with a wooden staircase was built, the first phone line was installed. Six years later, there was a water conduit and central heating with warm water. In 1926, the chateau was electrified. Meanwhile, the Larysch family was connected with the Blücher family who owned the chateau till 1949 when it was confiscated by the state, which meant a disaster for the chateau – the furniture was stolen, windows and doors broken, everything was destroyed by burglars, only bare walls remained. Later in 1950´s and 1960´s, there was a school, healthcare center, even a movie theater. In 1980´s, the chateau was finally being saved and repaired, new equipment was delivered from the nearby Hradec nad Moravicí Chateau including new windows, doors, fireplaces, even wooden floors. In 1981, the general reconstruction started – the chateau was repaired first, followed by the gardens. In 1984, it was opened to the public. Today, it is a beautiful historical monument. You can visit the chateau and take a guided tour, you can also see the orangery, gardens, granary and the whole surroundings of the chateau. Recently, it is owned by the Czech state and administered by the Czech Heritage Institute.