Hrobka rodiny Kleinů, Family mausoleum in Sobotín, Czech Republic.
Hrobka rodiny Kleinů stands on raised ground about half a kilometre south of Sobotín Castle. The square crypt is sunk into the earth and topped by a terrace, above which rises a brick chapel clad in granite and sandstone with Palladian elements, side chapels, a choir, a portico and a dome on a drum. Inside, a ceiling fresco by Austrian painter Franz Jobst shows four scenes from the Passion of Christ.
The Klein family first buried its dead at the cemetery of St Lawrence's church, where Albert Klein (1807–1877), first owner of Sobotín Castle, was interred. His heir Friedrich Klein (1850–1915) commissioned a family tomb; the Vienna architect Wenzel S. Baumheyer drew up the plans in 1880, building ran from 1881 to 1885 and craftwork finished in 1887. In autumn 1887 the coffins of Albert Klein and his children were moved here, later followed by relatives from Prague and Krnov. Burials stopped in 1919 because of damp, the tomb was restored in 1927–1928, confiscated under the Beneš decrees in 1945, and the remains were transferred back to the St Lawrence cemetery in 1999.
The Klein family's patronage of the church of St Lawrence dates from 1844, when they bought the Vízmberk estate. In autumn 1887 the Šumperk district authority allowed the remains of Albert Klein and his children, first buried in the church cemetery, to be moved into the mausoleum; coffins were later brought from Prague and Krnov. The crypt held 40 coffins, but burials stopped in 1919 because of damp. In 1999 the remains were returned to the cemetery of St Lawrence, where a memorial plaque on the church wall lists the family members buried there.
The mausoleum stands on raised ground about half a kilometre south of Sobotín chateau, not at the village edge. The municipality of Sobotín has been carrying out a long restoration and opens the interior only occasionally; ask at the obec about current access. The coffins were moved to the cemetery by St Lawrence's church in 1999.
The chapel ceiling keeps a ceiling fresco by Austrian painter Franz Jobst with four scenes from the Passion cycle, while almost everything else inside was destroyed after 1945. The crypt was sealed by order of the district hygienist in the 1950s, yet intruders still got in. The remains of the Klein family were moved to the cemetery by St Lawrence's church in 1999.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,618 contributors worldwide.