The history of Zlín’s fairylike chateau is closely connected to the former strategically important castle of Lukov, cheaply bought by the noble family of Seilern in 1724. Back then, the Seilerns did not reside in the castle itself, preferring the liveliness of Austrian cities over the solitude of the hilly region, resulting in a quick decline of the abandoned castle. At the beginning of the 19th century, the family searched for a peaceful and picturesque place, where they could seek refuge during the vibrant summer months. Visiting their demesne in Moravia, they quickly fell in love with a forested hillock called Lešná, arranging plans to turn it into their dreamy summer residence. The former castle in sight, the calm of the luscious forest filled to the brim with game, the burbling of the alluring stream in the pristine, tranquil nature – coming alltogether, these perks attracted the nobles. Before the former manor house in Lešná was finished in 1807, the Seilerns, lovers of hunting, a common aristocratic pastime, built in Lešná a pheasantry. The manor itself had two stories, providing five chambers to the growing family. Entryway headed to the road situated next to the building, connecting the villages of Lukov and Štípa. Annually, as soon as winter struck, Seilerns returned to the welcoming warmth of Vienna or sought coziness of their castle in Litschau.
However, Lešná and its quaint surroundings engraved deeply in the heart of Franz Joseph Maria von Seilern und Aspang, the heir to the estate and extensive land surrounding it. Pondering about the ways to turn the summer house into a real home, he attempted a renovation of the manor. Soon, it was discovered the walls of the old manor house were impossible to work with due to their constant heavy cracking, and Franz made the final decision to tear the whole building down. In 1887, the construction work on the new, opulent residence, begun. The new house was designed by a Viennese architect, Johann Mick. He collaborated with a fellow architect, Viktor Siedek, native of Napajedla, a town in the vicinity of Lešná itself. With his colleague in the charge of the exterior design, Siedek focused on the interiors. In February 1890, Mick, prior to his death, managed to hand in his garden designs. In his memory, Siedek led the construction work to the finishing line in 1893, intertwining elements of Neo-Baroque, Neo-Renaissance, Neo-Gothic and Tyrolean architectural styles. The new house was endowed with all of the amenities available at the then modern time – a central heating system, electricity, pipings for both hot and cold water, dumbwaiters, Gower-Bell telephones and spacious bathrooms furnished with hot tubs and flushing toilets. In the basement, a wine cellar, a kitchen and other utility rooms were hidden, whilst the ground floor generally served as representative rooms for entertaining. The upper floor was used solely by the count’s family and governesses, whilst the attic provided guest chambers. At the turn of the 19th century, the vast chateau’s grounds were enriched by a game reserve, stables, a riding hall, a museum and countless log cabins scattered in all directions, serving as guest houses. The family received guests frequently, especially from the ranks of their Hungarian branch of the family. The Seilerns turned Lešná into a place sought by nobility and peasants alike, hosting weddings of their friends, opulent banquets, grand hunting events and magnificent masquerades. In terms of popularity, the new residence quickly won over every other Seilern estate.
The family originated from Austria. They inhabited the house until April 1945; by the end of the World War II the family resettled in their castle in Litschau. Their property in the Czech Republic was lost due to Beneš decrees – in the time of war, the family inclined to the german citizenship; during the denazification process and the reconstruction of the country struck heavily by war every German or Hungarian siding with Germany was disenfranchised, having to leave the country. The last owner was Franz Joseph von Seilern und Aspang, born in 1914. In 1979, a formal property settlement was arranged between the Czech Republic and the Republic of Austria, thus the descendants of the family are not eligible to give a rise to property claims. Today, the chateau owner is the City of Zlín, the exhibited chattel was entrusted to the National Heritage Institute.
FRANZ JOSEPH MARIA VON SEILERN UND ASPANG (*5.3.1859–†12.4.1919)
Franz Joseph Maria inherited the entire property at the age of nine, leaving him in a dire need of a custodian. His uncle, Karl Maxmilian von Seilern und Aspang, took over the legal actions and the demesne. As soon as Franz Joseph Maria reached adulthood, he was prepared to take over the legacy. Karl Maxmilian tutored his nephew well, turning Franz into a truly capable administrator of his heritage, increasing efficiency of animal husbandry in the demesne, sprawling on the area of 6,000 hectares. The Seilerns owned a steam power circular saw, a water powered sawmill, a brickyard, a brewery and a distillery. The young count also expanded the husbandry of livestock and introduced horse breeding.
In April 1882, Franz wedded his distant cousin, Ilona von Wenckheim. In November 1883, Ilona gave birth to their son, Joseph Karl. Sadly, the newly found happiness did not last for long, at December 19, 1883, the young countess succumbed to a heart disease. The year of 1885 was critical for the family – Franz married Ilona’s identical twin sister and decided to modernize the former house, resulting in the construction of the current chateau Lešná.
The count lived in Lešná until his death in January 1919, being burried in a family mausoleum in nearby village of Štípa. Although he fathered three sons a daughter, the property was due to the laws of primogeniture passed to his firstborn son, Joseph Karl.
CAROLINA SAROLTA ANTON MARIA FELIX RUDOLFINA VON WENCKHEIM (*21.5.1860–†6.3.1946)
Franz’s second wife, Sarolta, the first wife’s twin, was recognized far and wide as a woman of beneficence. Thanks to her efforts, the nearby towns, Lukov, Štípa and Kostelec, remained renowned up to this day. The countess Sarolta built Carolineum, a complex of charitative buildings in Lukov, securing home for indigent mothers and their children, disabled and elderly citizens, and education for girls in a convent school. This remarkable woman also built a health resort, a hospital, a haven for widows and a new school. Known for her sweet and caring nature, the noblewoman was admired by whoever met her in person, by children especially. She always paid attention to making time in her busy schedule to visit families, inquiring on well-being of juveniles, quickly dealing with anything bothering the children. No wonder, she often bore witness to their baptism, becoming a protective and supportive godmother to many offsprings of servants and commoners.
The pious countess loved the country dearly, refusing to set for Austria after the World War II. Forsaken to dwell in Lešná any longer, she settled in Prague, accompanied by Devota, a Sister of Mercy of St. Borromeo, member of the religious congregation providing care to the clients of Carolineum. Upon Sarolta‘s death, the Moravian Provincial Archive in Brno received documents left by the late countess, counting up to 157 letters left from her year-long stay in the capital. Thanks to this collection, we can amaze you by Sarolta’s unbelievable language skills – she mastered nine of them, including Czech, English, French, German and Hungarian.
JOSEPH KARL FRANZ MARIA JOHANN NEPOMUK VON SEILERN UND ASPANG (*25.11.1883–†18.8.1939)
From the early age, the young count was fascinated by nature, spending every leisure moment in the extensive Seilern library. Soon, he was amazed by aves, birds, just like his grandfather, Joseph von Seilern und Aspang. Taking advantage of the noble title, Joseph Karl made a scientific journey to Far East, followed by a journey to Svalbard, gathering minerals, insects, and corals. His collection was quickly growing, pushing his stepmother, Sarolta, to build a lovely museum to store all of Joseph‘s precious items. Encouraged by her actions, the young count made yet another journey, around the world. Dreaming of enriching the knowledge of children from the demesne, he purchased many unique etnographic objects – pieces of clothing from Japan, such as kimonos or minos, footbinding shoes, a devil’s work ball, an ivory toothpick holder, a mummy and a mumified crocodile, ushabtiu, canopic jars, taxidermy elephant’s foot umbrella stand and many, many more. Joseph also gathered an incredible collection of 42,000 eggs, placing it in his museum for children to observe. The museum, opened during weekends to public, was operated by a professional museologist. In 1919, after his father's death, Joseph Karl had to deal with land reforms, expropriating arable land bigger than 150 hectares. To keep ⅔ of the demesne, the young count abandoned the land the family controlled in central Moravia and southern Czechia. Furthermore, he bound himself legally to keep the museum accessible to the public.
In 1929, Joseph brought from the journey around the world the first exotic animal – an emu. In order to entertain them, he allowed children living in demesne to observe it among other species unseen – blackbucks, Dybowski’s and sika deers, sambars and goitered gazelles, red brockets, Eastern imperial eagles, and budgerigars.
Marrying a former Czech countess, Theresia Lažansky, the philantropic count Seilern etablished close connections with Czech aristocrats, taking part in their social life. In 1914-1921, he was an executive member of the Moravian Agricultural and Industrial Bank. After his death in 1939, Joseph was buried in the Seilerns mausoleum in Štípa. His firstborn son, Franz Joseph von Seilern und Aspang, inherited the estates.
TYROLEAN HOUSE (1823)
This charming house, familiarly called Tyrol, was built across the chateau’s courtyard, serving as a residential building. Constructed in Tyrolean style, the ground floor was bricked, whilst the upper floors were wooden. Around the second floor, there was a wooden observation deck. The ground floor was designated as staff quarters, providing 12 rooms for staff to settle in. Theupper floor was designated for the count’s family and guests, offering the very same number of rooms. In 1860s, Tyrol house was rebuilt, the lookout deck being replaced by two roofed balconies.
Nowadays, you can find a restaurant in the parterre. In the second floor, there are event rooms and offices, the third floor was renovated to provide truly comfortable accommodation for guests.
MUSEUM (the end of the 19th century)
The museum of natural history was built for count Joseph Karl von Seilern, an avid traveller that toured the globe. Bringing many etnographic objects, fossils, geofacts, taxidermy mounts and an extensive entomological collection from his travels, he established an educational institute to broaden general knowledge of schoolchildren and commoners alike.
These days, you can treat yourself to various desserts and confections there, in the Chocolaterie, or you can treat yourself to a delicious meal in Limpopo, the neighboring restaurant.
THATCHED HOUSE
Log cabin with thatched roof can be found in the southern, African area of the zoo near a pond. Formerly, the building was used as a shed for two cows, covering the dairy supply for the family, nowadays it serves as a facility for rhinos and African antelopes.
STABLES (1894)
The grand stables did not only accommodate horses, but were also used to store saddles, hay supplies and carriages. In 1970s, the stables were renovated, serving as an expositions for rhinos. Another renovation took place in 1999, leaving rhinos replaced by Lipizzans, a breed of European riding horses.
Since 2014, you can find a restaurant in the parterre, whilst the rest of the former building functions as the utility area.
