Details
Founded: 1882-1885Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Finland
Historical period: Russian Grand Duchy (Finland)
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Malmgård is one of the most magnificent manor houses in Finland. The history began in 1606 when Carl IX of Sweden donated 30 local farms to Estonian war widow Catharina Hess von Wichdorff. She later married Ernst (Larsson) Creutz from the near Suur-Sarvilahti manor house and Malmgård was merged to the property of Creutz family .
The current main building was built between 1882-1885 by governor Carl Magnus Creutz. The architect was F. A. Sjöström, who designed it in a Dutch Neo-Renaissance style.
Today Malmgård is still privately owned by the Creutz family. They farm organic food and there’s also a local brewery. Beers and can be tasted in the manor restaurant. Guided tours in manor house are available for groups from April to September (visits have to be reserved in advance).
Střekov Castle (Schreckenstein) is perched atop a cliff above the River Elbe, near the city of Ústí nad Labem. It was built in 1316 for John of Luxembourg, the father of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, to guard an important trade route to Germany. After changing hands several times, the castle was acquired by the Lobkowicz family in 1563. Its strategic importance led to occupations by Imperial Habsburg, Saxon, and Swedish forces during the Thirty Years' War, as well as successive sieges by Austrian and Prussian armies during the Seven Years' War.
Although Střekov Castle was heavily damaged during those conflicts and abandoned as a military installation by the end of the 18th century, the 1800s saw many poets and artists visiting the castle, drawn by a new trend of interest in romantic ruins.