Slavkov Castle – Austerlitz

The residence of the famous Kounic family was built at the turn of the 18th century. Back then, a great park in the fashionable style of French Baroque gardens was already a part of the area. However, it is still one of the most important examples of historic greenery in Moravia. You will also find a public six-hole golf course here today.

The castle interiors are full of chic frescoes, stucco, art sculptures and paintings. In the interior beauty competition the first places are taken by the Hall of Ancestors, Rubens Hall and the Chapel of the Holy Cross. The central oval Historical Hall is quite exceptional; here a truce was made between France and Austria on the memorable date of 6 December 1805. A striking detail of this vast room is its acoustics. When the hall was built, it was felt it was important not to hear the deliberations of the individual groups of people during important political negotiations.

Before the Battle of Austerlitz, the Allies, the Austrian Emperor Francis I and the Russian Tsar Alexander I, stayed at the castle and after the battle, on the other hand, the French Emperor Napoleon I stayed there. Well, every dog has its day. This period is commemorated by a vast exhibition in the historical museum in one of the castle’s wings.

The chateau building literally encourages making exhibitions – during the season, the airy spaces are filled with displays of glass, ceramics, flowers, paintings, jewellery, bobbin lace, Christmas or wine exhibitions.

In the hot summer, cool down below ground on the two floors of the castle’s cellar. You will walk through connecting corridors, stairs, a bakery, a torture chamber… and the remains of a medieval fortress of the Teutonic Knights.