Suite of Eleonora zu Schwarzenberg

A narrow passageway on the second floor of the Northern wing of the Castle takes visitors to another part of the No. 2 Guided Tour of Český Krumlov Castle, the so-called Schwarzenberg Apartments. At the beginning of the 1560\'s there was a Rosenberg Hall where festivals took place, called the "Coats of Arms Hall" in this part of the Castle. During the Baroque reconstruction, sometime around 1747-1748, the Hall was rebuilt, its height divided into two floors, and the area redivided into smaller inhabitable rooms. The fragments of Renaissance coats of arms on the wall of the passageway on the side closer to the Courtyard are proof of the original Renaissance building phase evidenced today by a later Baroque reconstruction.

The interior installation of nine rooms of the Apartment dates from the third quarter of the 19th century, when they were inhabited by the Duke Johann Adolf II. zu Schwarzenberg (1799-1888) and his wife Marie Eleonora zu Schwarzenberg, née Princess von Liechtenstein (1812-1873). The re-installation and the restoration works on the interior furnishings were done according to the notes in the Inventory from the year 1879, and visitors to the Castle can see one of the best quality interior installations of the second half of the 19th century here, with a high level of authenticity.

The Reception Room is the first room of the Apartment. Our attention is drawn to an upholstered suite with a design of Schwarzenberg and Lichtenstein Coats of Arms, a corner display cabinet containing a collection of porcelain, and various Romantic paintings.

The next Salon is a room containing a life-size portrait of the Duchess at the age of 22, by the Italian painter Matias Schiavoni.

The names of the following number of rooms clearly indicate their original purpose: Smoking Salon, Reference Library of the Duke, and a Small Dining Room. The colourful decorations and positions of the furniture show, mainly in the Small Dining Room, yet other stage of the re-designing of the interiors. This must have taken place after 1888, when the Duke Johann Adolf II died and his son, Adolf Josef (1832-1714) assumed responsibility for the family properties. The character of the decorations, as well as the installation of a great quantity of European and Oriental decorative porcelain in the display cabinets, dressers, and on the walls demonstrate the atmosphere of the period and reflect the experiences of the ducal couple after their visit to England.

Now we enter the suite of the room that used to form the private apartment of the Duchess Eleonora. On the walls of her Salon, Dressing Room, and Bedroom, there are tapestries forming one of the

richest aristocratic collections of tapestries in Europe. The collection of Tapestries in Český Krumlov Castle contains 87 pieces, and the Schwarzenbergs either inherited or purchased them during the 17th and 18th centuries.

In the 19th century this collection was divided; 61 pieces are in the Hluboká Castle, and 26 pieces are in Český Krumlov Castle. In the Salon of the Duchess the most beautiful and valuable tapestries from the "Dido and Aeneas" cycle are displayed. They were made in Holland in 1620-30.

The Dressing Room, filled with Ladies\' and Toilet sets, completes the rooms of the Schwarzenberg Suite on the No. 2 Guided Tour.

Further information :
Re-Installation of the Period Interiors in No. 2 Guided Tour in Český Krumlov

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