The repair of the Břeclav Castle tower will begin, costing 5.76 million CZK

Brno - The long-planned reconstruction of the Břeclav Castle will begin this year with the repair of the southern tower. Due to the high financial demands, the city has divided the repairs into several stages. The repair of the tower is expected to be completed by this November. The city announced this in a press release.

"With the reconstruction of the southern tower, we have initiated the much-needed repairs of the castle. This was preceded by an archaeological survey that revealed the rich history of the site. At the end of March, we will submit an application for a grant for further revitalization of the castle to the Norwegian funds, and by the end of April, we will apply for grants from the Ministry of Regional Development," stated Břeclav mayor Svatopluk Pěček (ANO).

By the end of March, a so-called stratigraphic survey is planned for the tower, which maps the composition of the individual layers of plaster. Then the actual repair will begin, which will cost 5.76 million crowns. The city has received a half-million grant from the Ministry of Culture, with another half million being allocated for the repair by the South Moravian Region, while the rest will come from the city budget.

For this year, the city has allocated 11 million crowns for the repairs of the castle. The project for the reconstruction has been prepared by the city since 2009, but the total costs would exceed 200 million crowns, which is why the repair is divided into several stages and the city is trying to obtain grants for individual works.

In addition to the southern tower, the southern wing of the castle is also set to undergo repairs this year, where there will be facilities for staff and visitors of the observation tower, a small hall, and a place for a Tourist and Information Center.

The archaeological survey at the castle has uncovered several interesting discoveries. Experts found, for example, a 1000-year-old wall in the cellars, beneath which there may be remains of even older settlement, and they also found three human remains in the foundations of the castle. The deceased likely met violent ends, and one of the investigated hypotheses is that they could have been victims of some ritual. The remains are approximately 1000 years old.

On the site of today's castle once stood a border fortress built by Prince Břetislav I., from whom the estate got its name. Břetislav I. was born after the year 1000 and died in 1055.

Later, the Přemysl Castle and New and Old Břeclav were acquired by the Žerotín family, who rebuilt the feudal castle into a magnificent castle in the first half of the 16th century. The Liechtensteins then gave the castle a romantic appearance of an artificial ruin. In recent years, the building has been in poor condition.