Beautiful Sights: Hluboká nad Vltavou Castle
Once upon a time, Prince Jan Adolf II Schwarzenberg and his lovely wife Eleonora travelled to England. The Schwarzenberg couple fell in love with it, truly, madly, deeply, and decided to build a bit of it in Bohemia. The result is breathtaking.
Inspired by the Windsor, this castle and the grounds took some thirty-one years to build and it is as spectacular inside as it is outside. You can clearly see the Schwarzenbergs were a wealthy and powerful family in every room and every lobby - which is good for us tourists, because we can now admire all the wonderful castles and palaces they've left behind as their legacy:-)
So much inspiration for dollhouse decoration...
The castle is filled with incredible carvings both in wood and in marble, some of them of unearthly fragility. One especially frail carved mirror frame took seventeen years to make to the local masters - I wish I had a photo of it to show what beauty human hands are capable of producing. Sadly it was not possible to take photos inside, so let me share the exterior at least:-) Welcome in a fairytale.
7 komentářů
What a beautiful castle! I can definitely see some of the influences from Windsor castle. :) Your photos are lovely. The second picture, with the castle peaking out from behind those massive trees is probably my favourite. <3
ReplyDeleteWonderful, I'll tell Iris you liked the photos! It's her work :-) But now I can't wait to see Windsor... looking forward to the ball with you at least:-)
DeleteThey really are pretty! :) Ah, we still need to organise some details for that sometime! :D And snatch up some tickets before they sell out. I'm looking forward to it too! I'll have to hurry up with the rest of my Victorian underpinnings...
DeleteAnd by the way, I forgot to tell you that I bought some American Duchess Renoir boots recently (well, I pre-ordered them at least), since a UK branch of the brand opened lately. Also, I'm thinking of making my gown 1880's to keep with the theme of the ball, since I haven't got any firm foundations for any particular decade yet. The 1870's are always in my heart, but since I haven't really gotten started with anything yet, I might as well make something matching the ball's theme. How is your outfit coming along? Did the petticoat work out? :)
Yes, we do! I see the tickets are up for sale now, oops - we just bought a holiday in Romania with Iris and are both totally out of money! So we have to wait for something to sell, but we both hope to attend with you... Iris designed a dress for herself and it's gonna be smashing! Can't wait to help her out with it:-) Also, I'm trying to learn Viennese waltz;-) It's a magnificent feeling...
DeleteWow, you're gonna get Renoirs??? Oh gosh, wonderful! Which colour? When are you gonna get them? 1880s are cool - what colour? Any gown in particular strikes your fancy? Show me pics:-)
Well, for the fancy trained petticoat, I'm currently waiting for some delicious eyelet lace to arrive - meanwhile I'm working on a simple petticoat that would go underneath that. Redoing ruffles because I ran out of fabric:-)
Oh, Romania! That's really cool, I'd love to visit there someday! Where will you be going, and around what time of year, do you know?
DeleteI truly hope you can both attend!!
Can you tell me anything about Iris's gown, or is it top secret for now? ;)
I'm getting the black ones; they'll be easier to take care of, and I'm planning on wearing them with some Lolita outfits too. :) Since it was a pre-order I think they'll be here in about November... Not in time for my birthday, but I'll get them for Christmas ;) I'm smiling here, but it's actually agony because I want them right NOW! :D
Did you see the design I posted to Instagram maybe a couple of weeks ago, of an 1880's gown? I'm planning on making it in shades of pale pink, pale mauve and white, for the effect of a sweet pea flower. I hope I can make it in time for the ball, on top of everything else. XD The chemise took me long enough, though I suppose I did have a massive break in the middle of it.
That's exciting! Getting lace in the mail is always fun. Making underpinnings can be quite dull, but the lace makes it worthwhile :)
This is a lovely fairytale, indeed! I feel I must put it on my list of places to visit should I ever make it out across the pond. And I would love to see what anyone would make of the inspiration of it for dollhouses, that would be wonderful.
ReplyDeleteOh definitely, this is a must see for anyone who likes to be swept off their feet:-) Well, be it the 3D modelling and 3D printing way or the carving it out of balsa wood way, I hope to add bits and bobs of this castle to my dollhouse in time:-) Thanks a lot for your sweet comment!
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