Kolinec - Mlázovy - castle and castle park
Baroque Castle – Permanent Exhibition
On the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the construction of the Baroque castle, in 2021 half of the ground floor was opened to the public. In the castle exhibition entitled "History Swept Away by Time, Yet Still Alive" you will see the original vaulted interiors and the restored Baroque black kitchen, whose renovation was not simple and which could still serve its original purpose today. The castle also houses an exhibition dedicated to the history of the Mlázovy estate, samples of traditional granite stonework, you can take a look into an old classroom, and discover the remarkable story of the last owner JUDr. Dušan Zachystal and his family.
In the entrance hall of the castle there are rooms used for seasonal exhibitions.
As another permanent exhibition, you can visit the Rural Museum of Traditional Agriculture "You Reap What You Sow", which was officially opened in 2023. Here you will learn what machines and tools our ancestors used, and see the entire process of soil preparation from sowing to harvest, including subsequent processing and products made not only from grain. You can, for example, view a flail or a honey extractor, and the information panels offer plenty of interesting facts as well as quizzes for the curious - both children and adults will find something to enjoy here.
Castle Park Open to the Public
The English-style castle park is also open to the public. The oldest trees are up to 300 years old. The largest trunk circumference belongs to a lime tree in the lower part of the park - over 5 m. Less common trees include the Douglas fir and the Canadian hemlock. The most interesting tree in the park is the cut-leaf oak (Quercus robur v. filicifolia). Its shaggy leaves resemble ferns.
In the park there is a unique hand-carved pavilion with columns shaped like cones, each made from a different piece of wood and marked with the symbol of the respective tree. This created a mini gallery of Šumava tree species. The park also features a giant royal chair carved from a centuries-old oak. In the courtyard you can play giant chess made of hand-carved linden wood, giant checkers, and the classic game "Ludo".
Brief History of the Mlázovy Estate
The first written records of Mlázovy date back to 1369. Sometime after that, a knightly family settled in the village, using the predicate “of Mlázovy”.
At the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, Jan Mlázovský of Těšnice lived here, followed by his son Petr Mlázovský of Těšnice. In the following years, several owners alternated, until in 1591 Jindřich Ladislav Tomek of Čejkov purchased the estate, including the manor house first mentioned in historical sources, and his descendants owned the estate for more than a hundred years. For a short time, Jan Václav Příchovský of Příchovice was also the lord here.
In 1712, Jan Vilém Bernklau of Schonreith (also referred to as Pernklo of Šenrejt) bought the estate and in 1721 had a Baroque castle built on the site of the former manor house. Already in 1722 he died, and the castle was inherited by his daughter, married Bergová of Berg; after her, her son inherited it, and subsequently it was purchased by relatives of his wife from the Dohalský family of Dohalice.
After that, several more owners alternated until in 1820 František Xaver Count Deym of Střítež purchased the castle. From him, the estate was acquired by his son-in-law František Václav Veith. During his ownership in 1829 – 1851, Mlázovy flourished; in 1834 he had a Classicist rectory and school with a rich library built, as well as a poorhouse and a Classicist wing of the castle (today’s guesthouse). He was a great patriot. After his death, Bernard Kleist, Imperial-Royal military auditor, became the owner; after their father’s death, the Kleist siblings managed the estate, and this family owned the property from 1851 to 1906.
From 1906 to 1919, the owner was Count JUDr. Jindřich Taaffe of Nalžov (the family originally came from Ireland). During his tenure, roses from the castle greenhouses were sent as far as Vienna to the imperial court, and cheese was produced here. After the land reform, ownership changed again, and in 1937 the castle was purchased by JUDr. Dušan Zachystal, Director General of the Economic Association of Czechoslovak Cotton Spinning Mills. In 1938 he moved to Mlázovy with his wife Amálie and daughter Dagmar. After Hitler came to power in Germany, he actively participated in redirecting cotton trade so that it would not pass through Germany, thus depriving it of profit. As a result, he was sought by the Gestapo and arrested in 1942. He subsequently passed through six concentration camps as a political prisoner. He returned to Mlázovy in August 1945. He managed to sell the castle before nationalisation and later worked in Prague as a clerk until his retirement; his daughter Dagmar lives in Canada.
From 1947 to 2000, the castle was owned by the municipality of Mlázovy and later by the market town of Kolinec. Since 2000 to the present, the owner has been Šperl, spol. s r.o., a family company based in Sušice.
In 2005 (after approximately 50 years), it was possible to reunite the entire castle complex, which after 1948 had been divided among many owners. In 2006-2007, the northern wing of the castle was reconstructed into a guesthouse. In recent years, gradual restoration of the Baroque castle has been underway, and in part of the ground floor an exhibition was created in 2021.
