Kačina Castle

Kačina is a significant empire style palace in the central region of The Czech Republic. In 1945 it was designated a national property.

History
Kačina was built in place of the defunct medieval village Kačín as a prestige mansion of the supreme burgrave of the Kingdom of Bohemia and president of governorate Jan Rudolf Chotek (1748–1824) from 1806 to 1824. The architectural scheme was drawn up by Saxon royal architect Christian Franz Schuricht (1753–1832) from Dresden. Johann Philipp Jöndl (1782–1870) and in the last few years also had controlled running the construction. He also eminently influenced the final appearance of the castle.

Functionally the castle is divided into three parts. The main (central) building with exquisite halls and the residence of earl family, then two quarter circle adjacent lower wings with pillared colonnade where the guest rooms were situated. To those wings were connected other pavilions. In the right one is situated never finished mansion chapel and theatre which were finished in the first half of 19th century.

In the left one there is a Chotek's extensive library dated from 16th to 19th century. The castle is surrounded by vast park that was founded already in 1789 according to the plan of famous Viennese botanist Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin (1727–1817), it was completed thirteen years earlier than the castle itself.