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:House of the Blackheads (Melngalvju nams) is a building situated in the old town of Riga. The original building was erected during the first third of the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in Riga. Major works were done in the years 1580 and 1886, adding most of the ornaments.
The structure was bombed to a ruin by the Germans June 28, 1941 and the remains demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999. Today the House of Blackheads serves as a museum and sometimes concert hall.