The State Chateau in Litomyšl is an important architectural monument located in the Pardubice Region on the Czech-Moravian border. The Renaissance chateau was built in the 16th century by the Pernštejn family as their ancestral seat. The building is a rare example of the adaptation of an Italian Renaissance palace for the conditions of the Transalpine countries. Following the Italian model, arcades encircle the inner courtyard on three sides and the façades with gables are covered with sgraffito decoration with writing or figural motifs. The interiors are mostly the result of later Baroque and Classical modifications. The walls of the rooms are decorated with Louis XVI-style illusionistic paintings, the ceilings with stucco decor, and the furniture and furnishings represent the lifestyle of the 18th and 19th centuries. On the ground floor of the aristocratic residence, a unique classical family theatre with a working engine room and a set of backdrops has been preserved. The chateau grounds are divided into a state part (the chateau, coach house, clerk's house no. 94, salette, French garden and English park) and a town part (brewery, riding hall, stables, clerk's house no. 134 and the first courtyard) on the basis of restitution processes. Managed by the National Heritage Institute, the chateau is open to the public and offers two guided tours (theatre and representation rooms, chapel and banqueting rooms), the possibility of organising weddings and the rental of multifunctional halls. In the grounds you can visit the Municipal Gallery, the castle cellars with the sculptures of Olbram Zoubek and the Heart for Václav Havel or the Birthplace of Bedřich Smetana. Among other events, the Smetana Litomyšl music festival has been held here regularly since 1949. Since 1962, the castle grounds have been protected as a National Cultural Monument, and in 1999 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
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