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:Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.
Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.
There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.