Luka nad Jihlavou Castle, Baroque château in Luka nad Jihlavou, Czech Republic.
Luka nad Jihlavou Castle is a baroque château featuring symmetrical facades and classical architectural forms that rise above the market town along Nádražní street. The building displays the restrained elegance typical of Czech baroque design, with well-proportioned rooms and period details that reflect its construction era.
A château was built on the right bank of the Jihlava at the end of the 16th century, probably by Matouš Grün, possibly as a hunting lodge or fortress. Swedish troops burned it at the end of the Thirty Years' War, and it decayed until 1711, when Jan Kryštof Říkovský bought the estate. Its present baroque form dates from a costly reconstruction in 1739–1747 under Maxmilián Oldřich of Kounice, with builder Václav A. Petruzzi and stuccoist Giovanni Battista Ricca. The Widmanns held it from 1768 to 1945.
The château gave its name to the town's coat of arms: above a window on the north facade is the damaged crest of Jan Kryštof Říkovský z Dobrčic, showing a white stork holding a golden stone in its raised right foot, the future emblem of Luka nad Jihlavou. A Marian chapel was built on the first floor in 1747, though its exact location is now unclear.
The château is privately owned and not open to the public; the owner offers accommodation in seven apartments for 14 people, a congress hall for 70 people, a restaurant and a wine cellar. The grounds also contain a riding hall, and the 19-hectare English-style park laid out in 1834 survives.
The château stands on the right bank of the Jihlava, while the fortress long taken as its predecessor lay on the left bank behind St Bartholomew's church; research showed the two had nothing in common. Remains of the old brewery, however, survive beneath the present building.
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