Telč

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Infocentrum, nám. Zachariáše z Hradce, 588 56 Telč
Tel. +420 567 243 145


   The Gothic castle was built in the second half of the 14th century. Towards the end of the 15th century the castle fortifications were strengthened and a new gate-tower built. By the middle of the 16th century the medieval castle no longer satisfied Renaissance noblemen such as the cultured and well-travelled Zachariáš of Hradec. He had the castle altered in the Renaissance style. The ground floor was vaulted anew, the facade decorated with sgraffito, and the state apartments and living quarters received stucco ornamentation together with trompe l'oeil paintings and chiaroscuro in 1553. Telč came into the possession of Vilém Slavata of Chlum and Košumberk by intheritance. The counter-reformation brought the Jesuits to the town and they built themselves the church, Name of Jesus, in 1666-1667, according to the plans of Domenico Orsi.

   The column of the Virgin and the fountain in the centre of the square date from the 18th century. This splendid ensemble of Renaissance and Baroque houses, still to be seen with their high gables and arcades, remains largely faithful to the layout devised by medieval town planning. The elegant town hall was more than once rebuilt after fires, as,for exapmle, in the years 1499 and 1530. The Renaissance castle and mostly Renaissance and Baroque houses make up a complex forming one of the most comprehensive ensembles in the country.