Peruc - Chateau

Peruc is mentioned in written sources as early as the 12th century. It belonged then to the Strahov Monastery and at that time a fortified manor house stood on the site of today‘s chateau. In the 16th century the manor house was rebuilt into a small chateau by Hanuš Hruška of Březno.

The chateau was adapted in the Baroque style by Italian builders in the 1720s. The initiators of this reconstruction were members of the Ledebur family. The chateau reconstruction was continued in the 1760s and the result of this renovation from 1760–1770 is its preserved Rococo appearance. Adjacent to the chateau is an English landscape garden, founded in the 18th century.

After 1945 the chateau right in the centre of Peruc had several administrators, including the National Museum, which took care of it the longest. The municipality of Peruc acquired the chateau after 1989 but could not afford either the large running costs or its reconstruction. It therefore sold the chateau, and eventually in 2013 the building was bought by the current owner, Mrs. Dominika Matušová, under whose care the chateau is undergoing a demanding reconstruction of both the exterior and interior.

Since July 2020 part of the chateau premises are again open to the public. In 1947 the south chateau wing was lent as a studio to the painter Emil Filla and after his death a memorial hall was opened there to commemorate his stay and work. Its re-establishment is being considered. The Rococo chateau in Peruc is today one of the most valuable buildings of this type in the Czech Republic.