Archeological finds prove that there has been settlemens in the area since the 10 th century. At the turn of the 12 th and the 13 th century there was increase in the settlements in connection with establishment of a seignoral residence, which later became a Gothic fortress. The so called "Old Castle" stands on this sight now.
Horovice castle in 1900
The residence and village of Horovice gave the name to the house of Horovice. For the first time this mark of nobility was used by brothers Gebhart (Habart) and Neostup in 1233.
The history of the town is connected with the development of the Ruling lords´ Residence. Horovice received the status of a town in 1322, only 20 years after the district town Beroun. In this time the castle and even the church were outside the town´s walls. This later caused a split between the residentional town of Horovice and the village "Velka Viska" ( In the 16 th century). This village is now an administrativ district of Horovice, but it took until 1919 before they were rejoined.
The present form of the palace has a late Gothic influence, since the fortress was rebuild in the 15 th century. The first - but unfortunately not proven - references to the fortress come from the Hussite wars and the siege of Horovice by the "Siroteks". (Between 1422-1430). In 1639 the palace was burned down by the Swedes. In 1647 it was rebuild in a Baroque style. In the 18 thentury the Palace had lost its function as a residentional palace for the ruling lords and it became a home for officers and an industrial base. The last owner was the Earl Jindrich (Henry) Schaumburg. He sold it to the state. The castle now belongs to a firm called "Vojenske lesy" ("The army woods")
There are many famous aristocratic names connected with the "Old castle". It was owned by the lords of Zerotin on the turn of the 13 th and the 14 th century. Since 1390 even the King Vaclav IV. owned Horovice castle. Later he build another near castle called "Tocnik".
|
These families are shown on the towns crest. One halfs of it is a Zerotin´s eagle and on the other half there are three beams - one blue and two silver - which are the colours of the Luxemburgs. Horovice is one of the three possible birth places of the Czech King Jiri (George) of Podebrady.
The lords of Ricany owned Horovice Palace in 16 th century. The last member of the family, Jan Litvin of Ricany, was a radical among the rebellious Estates in 1618-1620. In the course of the defenestration of the imperial governors on 23 May 1618 at Prague Castle he turned a rifle against Jaroslav Borita of Martinice and was one of the four man, who trew Borita out of the window and then fired at the fleeing governors and their scribe. After the defeat of Estates´ rebelion, the confiscated property in Horovice was purchased, together with the adjacent Komarov estate, by Maria Eusebia, the wife of Jaroslav Borita of Martinice. In 1685 Theresa Francisca, the last Horovice Martinic´ daughter, married Jan Frantisek from Vrbno and five years later she gave the Palace to her husband. Lords of Vrbno decided to build a new, more comfortabel chateau in Horovice. (The chateau was build in the Baroque style, in the beginning of the 18 th century) The Vrbno family stayed in Horovice until the 19 th century. They established the iron industry in the whole region. The most important person of the Vrbno family was Earl Rudolf.
In 1852 the stronghold was bought by Friedrich Wilhelm von Hanau. He paid two and half milion zlaty just because his wife Gertruda needed to become a lady. It is ironic but Horovice was the only stronghold that remaind to the family after 1866 - the Prussia x Austria war.
When Jindrich von Hanau died in 1917, the Palace became the property of the state. In 1922 Friedrich´s Wilhelm´s great grandson inherited Horovice Palace again. (Through the inheritance law.) His family stayed in Horovice until the end of the Second World War. After the war the Palace was confiscated by the state again and it has stayed like ? this until the present time.
The central square in Horovice in the early 20th century
|
