The Baroque Chateau Luhačovice in the Changes of Time

Originally there was a fortress there. The oldest historical record of it dates back to 1412. It was probably destroyed during the wars against Matthias Corvinus. The Serényi family bought the Luhačovice estate in the 1730s and a hundred years later built a two-winged, one-storey Baroque-style castle with a covered staircase and a clock tower on the site of the former fortress. Inside, twenty rooms were created, which were occupied by the high Baroque nobility of the time. Later, a chapel was added to the castle, which was dedicated to St. Joseph. It served as the local parish church from the end of the 18th century until 1997, when the modern Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Family was built. In front of the chateau stands a statue of St. Gotthard, the patron saint of the Benedictine order.

In the past, a large chateau park, a brewery, a pheasantry or vegetable garden, then a rectory and a school also grew on the grounds of the Baroque building. The Serenyi family remained the owners of the castle, the chapel and the adjacent farm buildings until the end of the Second World War. In 1948, however, this Luhačovice noble residence suffered the same fate as many other private estates in the former Czechoslovakia.

Later, the town leaders decided to put a kindergarten, then a children and youth house and a primary art school in the historic building, and built an asphalt traffic playground in the castle park.

The change came in 2017, when the castle and its fixtures and fittings were returned to the ownership of the descendants of the original owners, who decided to gradually renovate it and use it in the future. Partly for family living and partly as a place for some cultural activities. Both the Children and Youth House and the Art School have moved to cheaper city premises.

The castle has recently come into the spotlight mainly because of a dispute between its owners, the Thienen family - descendants of the Sereniy family - and the city. For what else but money. You can read more about the lawsuit filed by the Thienen family against the town of Luhačovice on Zlin.cz.

Categories: What to do in Luhačovice, Luhačovice, DDM Luhačovice, City of Luhačovice, Luhačovice Castle, ZUŠ Luhačovice