Troja (castle)

Troja Castle ["zámek Troja" or "trojský zámek" in Czech] is a baroque castle located in Troja, Prague's north-west borough (Czech Republic). It was built for the Counts of Sternberg from 1679 to 1691. The castle is owned by the city of Prague and hosts the 19th century Czech art collections of the City Gallery.

Construction

The castle's design has been influenced by French and Italian architecture and is mostly the work of French architect Jean Baptiste Mathey. The latter also built the palais Buquoy in Prague, currently the French embassy. Prior to Mathey, Domenico Orsi worked on the castle. Silvestro Carlone was the Master Builder.

Gardens

The stairs between the castle and the gardens are the work of two sculptors from Dresde: Johann Georg and Paul Heermann. They sculpted statues représenting the fight of Gods and giants. The terrace is decorated with a rare collection of vases made by Bombelli, also active in Slavkov u Brna, at Slavkov-Austerlitz castle (close to Brno).

Decoration

The castle's main rooms is decorated with a magnificent baroque "Habsbourg's apotheosis". Many mythological elements are presented in this trompe-l'œil decoration. It was realised by the brothers Abraham and Isaac Godyn, painters from Anvers who arrived at the castle in 1690. Francesco Marchetti and his son Giovanni realised most of the other paintings in the castle.

Recent history

The castle is bought in 1922 by the Czechoslovakian state, which starts a restoration in the seventies. Since this period the castle has been hosting an exhibition of Czech paintings of the 19th century: Josef Cermak, Václav Brožík, Julius Marak, Antonin Chittussi, Jan Preisler, Mikoláš Aleš.

Notes