After three years of renovations, the castle with the park in Slatiňany has reopened

Slatiňany - Today, after three years of renovations, the castle and castle park in Slatiňany, located in the Chrudim region, reopened to visitors. According to the custodian Jaroslav Bušta, this was the largest reconstruction in the last 120 years. They have returned to its appearance from the early 20th century.

Heritage conservationists in Slatiňany planned not only to repair the facades with original colors, windows, and doors, but also to restore the castle gate. The outdoor loggia at the western wing, which was demolished in the 1950s, has been restored to its original form, and the ground floor rooms of the eastern wing have been transformed into a visitor center, for example.

The castle park and its vegetation have also largely returned to their previous state. People can stroll along 3.5 kilometers of new paths, and the pond has been restored. However, unlike in the past, the park is divided by a fence into a public section and an area that previously served the princely family. Entry to the latter requires an admission fee.

The children's farm, which was previously inaccessible to the public, has also been restored. It served for the education and play of young nobles, teaching them the value of work and money. It was a miniature version of a rural estate, where children took care of animals and flowerbeds, but they could also play.

The Slatiňany - Aristocratic School in Nature project cost approximately 120 million crowns. The National Heritage Institute obtained a European grant for it from the Integrated Regional Operational Program.

Slatiňany Castle near Chrudim was built on the site of a Gothic fortress from the 14th century and has passed through the hands of about thirty owners over the centuries. The last of them, the princely family of Auersperg, gave the castle its current appearance. The family residence, equipped with the most modern technical facilities including a kitchen, central heating, and a food elevator, was used by the owners until 1945 when the castle was nationalized based on Beneš decrees. After the war, its building was used as a hippological museum dedicated to horses. Since 2011, when a new tour route was created, it has also been presented as an aristocratic residence.