Paintings from the walls of the Doupov church are presented in an audiovisual exhibition. In the dark room, they were effectively lit and it is possible to play historical music. Night tours take place on weekends.
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The town of Doupov itself was founded in the 13th century by the Doupov family from Doupov. After the war, most of the German-speaking population was displaced, but the city had not completely disappeared. It was not until 1953 that the communist government decided to create a military area in Hradiště, and soldiers destroyed the town and all the surrounding villages. For unknown reasons, a small tomb on a hill behind Doupov survived their rampage.
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The restorers originally worked in the large church of St. Elizabeth. In the years 1966-1968, by the way, they also photographically documented the destruction of the city. By complete coincidence, they came across the church of St. Wolfgang, who was already falling apart, and they noticed partially whitewashed Gothic paintings from the life of Christ. They decided to save the monuments. However, they had to leave the church, which was handed over by the Doupovs around 1380, several times due to gunfire, while the roof was slowly falling.
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The frescoes are effectively lit in a dark hall.
Photo: Archive of Stanislav Dvořák
Frescoes from Doupov
Photo: Archive of Stanislav Dvořák
Church of St. Wolfgang in Doupov
Photo: NPÚ
“It flows from the roof into the stone walls and the paintings could hardly be dried. Throughout our work, the paintings were mechanically damaged … Sometimes we came to the workplace and found out that the scaffolding had been destroyed and taken away, ”the restorers wrote down in 1968.
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In the seventies, it is said that the perimeter walls of the church still stood, which the army also tore down.
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In addition to the frescoes, you can now see the entire castle Valeč (formerly Waltsch), which almost ended up as Doupov. The first fortified seat stood in the area as early as the 13th century, and a castle stood on the site of the chateau. The two mansions were created because the estate was originally divided. Valeč was owned in the 14th century by the Boreš family from Rýzmburk, then by the Knights of Valeč family from Doupov. From 1505, Jakub Kyšperský of Vřesovice, who led the infantry army against the Turks in the battle of Mohács (1526) and fell.
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In 1538, Valeč acquired Vilém Hasištejnský from Lobkovice and his son then sold the property to the Štampach family. Wenceslas of Stampach was involved in the resistance of the estates, like many others he lost everything after the White Mountain and emigrated. At the beginning of the 18th century, the chateau was significantly rebuilt by Jan Kryštof, Count of Štampach, who hired Italian masters Francesco Barelli and Giovani Antonio Bian Rosa.
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Garden in Valča
Photo: Archive of Stanislav Dvořák
Valeč is still waiting for a long reconstruction.
Photo: Archive of Stanislav Dvořák
Valeč Castle (the name Waltsch was used on pre-war postcards).
Photo: Archive of Stanislav Dvořák
The original interior of the Waltsch before the war
Photo: NPÚ
Original interiors
Photo: NPÚ
The Baroque chateau was close to its current form. However, this does not apply to interiors. After 1945, the state chateau fell, the state forests and estates settled there, and then the children’s home. The equipment was lost and finally in 1976 a fire destroyed the roof and the second floor. The castle was catastrophically damaged and repairs did not begin until after the revolution.
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Also worth seeing are the local garden, as well as statues of Matthias Bernard Braun representing allegories of features and figures from Greek mythology, a summer house, a theater and a castle church.
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