Slavkov Chateau

• Civil, Protestant, Catholic, and Blessing Ceremonies possible
• Largest Venue available in Moravia
• Located approximately 25 km from the Brno Airport
• Weddings available from March to November
• All in One Venue; Ceremony and Reception at Chateau
• Ceremony possible in the Theatre Hall, the Chapel, Rubens' Hall, or in the Garden
• Accommodation in town of Slavkov; walking distance from Chateau

About Slavkov Chateau

At the beginning of the 13th century, a commandery of the Order of German Knighthood was built on the location of the contemporary Baroque manor. Slavkov is mentioned in their ownership for the first time in 1237. Parts of the residential building and of the round tower of the commandery are preserved under the northern wing of the Baroque manor and under a part of the manor courtyard. At the end of the 16th century, the Renaissance manor was built on the older foundations, which had a four-wing ground plan with arcades and massive square tower. Fragments of the foundation masonry are preserved in part of the basement of the northern and western wings of the manor.

The incentive for the Baroque conversion of the Kounic family Renaissance manor in Slavkov came from Lev Vilem's only son - Dominik Ondrej from Kounice. The task to build a representative manor for the family in place of the unsuitable Renaissance architecture was given to the Italian architect Domenik Martinelli from Lucca. The design of the new Baroque manor, in the style of so-called Danubian Baroque, was prepared by Martinelli in the 1680s and apart from the manor it also included the modifications and conversion of a larger part of the town with a new vicarage church. The actual building of the manor was designed on a U-shape ground plan. The construction of the manor commenced in the final years of the 17th century under the supervision of the local master masons and with an occasional inspection by Martinelli. The western wing was built first. The authors of the interior decoration were also Italian artists - frescos were painted by Andrea Lanzani who worked closely with the stucco-worker Santini Bussi. The sculptural elements and statues in the manor as well as in the park were created by Giovanni Giuliani.

Dominik Ondrej, the initiator of the Baroque conversion of Slavkov Chateau, died in 1705. By that time only its western wing had been roughly finished. His successor and the family heir was his son Maxmilian Olrich, the imperial count from Rietberg. He also focused on the completion of the manor from 1720. He found the successor of Martinelli's building layouts in the Italian architect Ignac Valmaggini. Although he continued Martinelli's project, Valmaggini carried out some significant changes in the original plans, particularly the expansion of the ends of the manor wings and deepening their courtyard sides.

During the course of the construction of the first stage of the manor, a park was being prepared in the style of French Baroque gardens under the leadership of Dutch experts in front of the western wing. In the middle of the 19th century, the garden was simplified into English style. Reconstruction in the 1970s gave the manor back its former Baroque appearance with pools and fountains and re-positioned stone sculptures.

The Slavkov Chateau is also rich with history with its association with the Battle of Austerlitz. Czar Alexander I of Russia and Francis I of Austria stayed in this very castle the night before the historic battle began, and the day following the battle, Napoleon delivered a victorious speech from the balcony of the Slavkov Chateau.