The Nebílovy Chateau will begin revitalizing the baroque garden after years of preparation

Nebílovy – After years of preparation and efforts to secure funding, the long-planned revitalization of the original baroque garden with hedges, flower beds, paths, and a fountain will begin this year at the Nebílovy Castle in the Plzeň region. The renovation will last two years and cost approximately 20 million crowns, said castle caretaker Milan Fiala to ČTK. The start of the garden restoration, which he has fought hard for, can be seen as a gift for his anniversary, as it has been 30 years since he became the caretaker of the Nebílovy Castle, located less than 20 kilometers from Plzeň, on April 2.

"It will be the most beautiful baroque garden west of Prague," the caretaker promises. According to him, the revitalization is exceptional because separate restorations of gardens at historic sites are rare. The approximately half-hectare garden was completed in 1710, a few years before the castle itself was finished. The renovation includes the reconstruction of both baroque and modern utilities beneath the surface, the restoration of the fountain, plastered enclosing walls with niches and a gate, and the construction of a modern wooden gazebo, described Fiala. The current layout, resembling a French baroque parterre, does not correspond to historical facts. During the previous regime, the garden was overgrown. There was a dump, kitchen gardens, and a playground. The restoration project is based on historical documentation that has survived on a large map of the estate. The area will be filled with flower beds arranged in squares of about 30 meters per side, partially bordered by evergreen shrubs. There will be lawn ornaments with colored sands. The area will be crisscrossed by a network of paths. The central element will be the restored granite baroque fountain, which has a diameter of nearly eight meters.

At this time, historic sites would normally be open to visitors, but they are closed due to anti-coronavirus measures. However, the employees of the Nebílovy Castle administration are not sitting idly by. "We are preparing exhibitions, concerts, but we don’t know when we will launch them, so we keep pushing back, postponing, and prefer not to promise anything. There is still plenty of work - we are repairing the social facilities for employees, the office has been refurbished, the flooring in the gallery is being replaced, complete spring preparations are ongoing in the garden, cleaning is happening in the castle, we've painted around 30 windows on the ground floor of the front wing, which is over 200 window sashes," Fiala described.

A project for the restoration of the roof covering of the front wing is also being prepared. "We found out that this is the oldest mansard baroque roof structure in the republic, dated 1706. Now the roof structure is being surveyed. We need a new covering, new battening, repair of the ridges, and some valleys," Fiala stated. Heritage conservationists will strive to preserve as much of the original wooden structure as possible, with preliminary estimates suggesting that about one-tenth may need to be replaced. Costs could be estimated by the caretaker to be around seven to ten million crowns. The castle is also working on a project for the construction of facilities for the garden, where gardening equipment can be parked or flowers can be overwintered; renovation of a rare positive organ, which will serve as a concert instrument, is also planned.