Замок Славков – Аустерлиц
Парк
The park at Slavkov castle is an integral part of the whole castle area and it is one of the most important historic gardens in Moravia. Its area is 15.5 ha. Today’s look of the park is the result of modifications carried out in connection with the castle adaptation to new architectural styles.
In 1700, under the reign of Dominik Ulrich of Kaunitz who initiated the Baroque reconstruction of the castle, the flower parterre with two pools, a fountain by Petr Wiliam and an orangery (casino) decorated by frescoes by Andrea Lanzani were established under the supervision of Dutch experts. The sculptures of Giovanni Giuliani and Ignác Lengelach were placed about in ideological spots depicting mostly mythological creatures and allegories.
In the second stage, Václav Petruzzi, who was in charge not only of the construction of the castle but also of the running works in the castle park, elaborated a plan of interconnection of the castle with the parterre. The parterre was now accessible by a bridge with several stairs over the moat. Along the full length of the castle frontage, the parterre was decorated by avenues of trees. On both sides there were two pools and along the main axis four groves with a maze and fountains. The biggest credit for the completion of the whole castle complex is to be given to Václav Antonín, Count of Kaunitz and Rietberg. A few years after he took up his property, he not only finished the construction but also completed the overall shape of the castle park that was enlarged at the cost of the demolished structure of the parish church of St Jacob and the municipal tower. The main parterre was changed to a transversal axis with three fountains. the crossing in the hillside between the upper transversal parterre and the lower part of the garden was newly established. A long water channel was changed into a set of three pools. The parterre was decorated by a group of sculptures and vases. In the second half of the 18th century, other small buildings (an aviary) and a preserved Chinese gazebo were placed in the park.
In the second half of the 19th century, the garden changed to an English park, the thickets were taken out and replaced by greenery arranged along the main longitudinal axis. The pools were covered and Baroque sculptures put in the castle courtyard. Some of them, however, remained in the newly created romantic corners of the park.
In the 1970s, the park was lavishly reconstructed. It was based on the project from 1774 and it partially gave the parterre back its former Baroque appearance. The central motive of such architectural composition was based on two garden pools installed in the axis of the western entrance with a pair of water reservoirs located beyond this axis. The area was decorated by freely situated Baroque sculptures of mythological creatures on plinths decorated by cartouches relocated from the courtyard back to the castle park.
The restored castle park was reopened at the occasion of the UNESCO symposium on Baroque gardens held in September 1977. Since 1996, a 6-hole golf course has been located in the back side of the park that continues behind the northern wall of the castle area. The park also includes gardens, glasshouses and the so-called Panská školka or panšula (manor’s tree nursery) where the young plants for the park and the forestlands of the Kaunitz family line were planted.In 2005, a few more trees were planted. The fragments of the linden avenues were replenished. Now they form the transition to the narrow part of the avenue in the lower part of the park. Also, the left rondelet with chestnut trees around the Chinese pavilion was newly planted.
- Abies grandis – noble fir, grand fir (temperate zone of the Northern hemisphere)
- Acer campestre – field maple (Europe, Asia, Northern A., Africa, China, Japan)
- Acer platanoides – Norway maple (Europe, Asia, Northern A., Africa, China, Japan)
- Acer pseudoplatanus - sycamore maple (Europe, Asia, Northern A., Africa, China, Japan)
- Aesculus flava – yellow buckeye (Europe, Asia, N. and S. America)
- Aesculus hippocastanum - horse-chestnut (E.,A., No and S. A.)
- Ailanthus altissima - ailanthus, tree of heaven (Asia, Australia)
- Alnus glutinosa Laciniata - common alder (Northern temperate zone)v
- Betula pendula - silver birch (temperate and cold zone of the Northern hemisphere)
- Carpinus betulus - common hornbeam (Europe, Asia, Northern and Central America)
- Calocedrus decurrens - California incense-cedar (Northern America, subtropical Asia)
- Catalpa bignoniodes - southern catalpa (Northern America,Western India, astern Asia)
- Celtis occidentalis - Common hackberry (Northern America, temperate zone of the northern hemisphere, in the tropics)
- Cornus mas - European Cornel (temperate zone of the northern hemisphere)
- Crataegus laevigata - midland hawthorn (zone of the northern hemisphere, mainly in Northern America)
- Elaegnus angustifolia - Russian oleaster (Southern Europe, Asia, Northern America)
- Fagus sylvatica - European beech (temperate zone of the northern hemisphere)
- Fagus sylvatica Atropunicea - purple European beech
- Fagus sylvatica Pendula - weeping European beech
- Fagus sylvatica Rohanii – Rohanii European Beech, has more narrow leaves
- Fraxinus excelsior - European ash (Northern hemisphere, domestic type)
- Fraxinus excelsior Elegantis - European ash
- Fraxinus excelsior Pendula - weeping European ash
- Fraxinus excelsior Variegat - European ash
- Ginkgo biloba - Ginkgo biloba (Eastern China)
- Gleditsia triacanthos - honey locust (Northern America )
- Gymnocladus dioicus - Kentucky coffeetree (Northern America)
- Juglans nigra - Black walnut (southeastern Europe, eastern Asia, Southern America)
- Larix decidua - European larch (temperate zone of the Northern hemisphere)
- Phellodendron amurense - cork tree (eastern Asia)
- Picea abies - Norway Spruce (Central Europe)
- Pinus nigra - European black pine (whole Northern hemisphere)
- Pinus silvestris - Scotch pine
- Platanus x acerifolia - London plane (southeastern Europe, Northern America)
- Populus alba - white poplar (Northern temperate zone)
- Prunus padus - bird cherry (European, temperate zone)
- Pseudotsuga menziesii - coast Douglas-fir (Northern A., eastern Asia)
- Pyrus communis - European Pear (Europe, Asia, Northern Africa, Persia)
- Quercus macranthera - Caucasian Oak (temperate zone of the northern hemisphere)
- Quercus macrocarpa Bur oak
- Quercus robur - pedunculate oak
- Quercus robur Fastigiata - pedunculate oak, columnar groeth
- Robinia pseudoacacia - black locust (Northern America, Mexico)
- Sophora japonica - Japanese pagoda Tree (Asia)
- Sorbus intermedia - Swedish whitebeam (Northern hemisphere)
- Thuja plicata - Western redcedar (Northern A., eastern Asia)
- Tilia cordata - small-leaved lime (linden) (temperate zone)
- Tilia platyphylos - large-leaved lime (linden)
- Tilia tomentosa - silver lime (linden)
- Tsuga canadensis - Canadian hemlock (Northern A., eastern Asia)
- Ulmus carpinifolia - field elm (Northern temperate zone)
- Ulmus glabra - Wych elm
