Near Mělník, nearly within view of the confluence of the Vltava and Elbe rivers, there is the Rococo Hořín Chateau. Originally a hunting lodge, it is located in the village of Hořín and was built at the end of the 17th century at the request of Count Jakub Černín, designed by the architect G. B. Alliprandi. The paintings were done by the painter F. M. Schiffer and his brother Antonín. A riding hall and stables were added to the chateau in 1701.
The hunting lodge was not enough for another owner, František Josef Černín, so he had a Baroque chateau built in its place according to the project of F. M. Kaňka in 1713-1720.
The castle was rebuilt and expanded several times. Carlo Giuseppe Bossi decorated two so-called ‘Stone Rooms’ on the ground floor of the chateau with asymmetrical stucco in 1760-1763. The last construction changes occurred at the end of the 18th century when a low tympanum was built on the garden facade, and a stairway rebuilt inside the chateau.
The chateau is one of the most preserved buildings combining elements of Late Baroque with Early Rococo.
The chateau is currently not accessible to the public.
References:The church of the former Franciscan monastery was built probably between 1515 and 1520. It is located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Old Rauma. The church stands by the small stream of Raumanjoki (Rauma river).
The exact age of the Church of the Holy Cross is unknown, but it was built to serve as the monastery church of the Rauma Franciscan Friary. The monastery had been established in the early 15th century and a wooden church was built on this location around the year 1420.
The Church of the Holy Cross served the monastery until 1538, when it was abandoned for a hundred years as the Franciscan friary was disbanded in the Swedish Reformation. The church was re-established as a Lutheran church in 1640, when the nearby Church of the Holy Trinity was destroyed by fire.
The choir of the two-aisle grey granite church features medieval murals and frescoes. The white steeple of the church was built in 1816 and has served as a landmark for seafarers.