History
The South Bohemian Chateau was originally built as a fortress and the first mention of it dates back to the 14th century. In the middle of the 17th century it was rebuilt into a Baroque chateau and a hundred years later it was reconstructed and adapted to the needs of the upper class. It was also a popular destination for excursions and a film location. The legendary film The Golden Eels was filmed here in 1979, followed by The Vampire Wedding in 1993. However, the history of the Baroque castle Bzí in České Budějovice is much longer. The four-winged chateau with an inner courtyard was rebuilt around 1651 from an older fortress, and was modified in 1754. Since 1978, the building housed the JZD Rozkvět, as well as a liquor store, cheese factory and apartments.
"The chateau was self-maintained, and although it gradually decayed, there was still life in it. After the Revolution, however, there was unfortunately a breakthrough. The building changed hands between different owners, and eventually it appeared at a public auction," says Jana Mastíková, the chief architect of Loxia Studio, which decided to join the auction and bought the chateau.
Milan Veselý, the owner and founder of the Loxia studio, has his roots in South Bohemia, and so he has followed the story of the dilapidated castle for a long time. "For a long time, the castle suffered from being accessible to everyone and from everywhere. We could not stand by and watch it decay," says Jana Mastíková. Inside the chateau, the vaults and two rooms with mirrored vaults with stucco decoration have been preserved. The chateau includes outbuildings, a former distillery, the Chapel of St Florian and a pond. The grounds cover over 20 hectares and there are 28 rooms on the first floor of the castle. "We are trying to deal with acute issues first, because several buildings have collapsed roofs, for example, we had to demolish the building of the okals due to its state of disrepair," says Mastíková.
Reconstruction has already begun
We could not stand by and watch it decay.
The castle has a square plan with a large courtyard. On the ground floor there are nice rooms with cross and vaulted arches, inside there are 15 living rooms with accessories. A liquor store and a cheese factory were in operation in the ground floor of the castle. An analysis of the drinking water in the locality of the chateaux revealed that the water is of high quality, so-called artesian water, and is suitable for use as baby water, for example.
Architecture
At the same time, it was immediately clear to the architects that the castle could still have a great future ahead of it. "We have been looking for a property to put our know-how into for some time. We want to breathe new life into Bzi, we are looking for its hidden potential. The nearby village of Bzí is itself very small, so the surrounding area is pleasantly quiet. At the same time, it has a great location in terms of transport accessibility. When the motorway from Prague to South Bohemia is completed, the castle will be only an hour's drive from the capital," says Jana Mastíková.
In addition, there are many attractions and sights around the castle, such as Hluboká nad Vltavou with its castle, zoo, golf course, Třeboň Castle with its spa, Jindřichův Hradec and many others. This is also the reason why the main intention is to renovate the castle and build a luxury resort for relaxation, corporate events and congresses or weddings.
LOXIA reveals hidden potential
The renovation of the stables, a huge building with a mansard roof adjacent to the castle, began. In the future, it will house a restaurant and also space for congress meetings. At the same time, beautiful guest rooms will be created in the attic.
"We want to build a multifunctional space with a restaurant and accommodation, we are planning an exhibition room, nice gardens and a ballroom. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but it will be worth it," promises Jana Mastíková.
