Zprávy památkové péče 2016, 76(5):459-467

The castle garden in Ostrov as the eighth wonder of the world. Protecting the historic elements of water systems

Lubomír Zeman

The castle garden in Ostrov (Schlackenwerth), during the course of the more than three and a half centuries of its existence, has undergone four developmental stages - from the mannerist early Baroque gardens of the 1640's, through the Baroque era in the 1660's, through the grandiose High Baroque garden of 1690-1715, to the natural landscaping of the early 19th century. At the time, the garden, with its many water elements and rich sculptural decoration, had no equal in the Czech lands and therefore was referred to as "the eighth wonder of the world". The authorship of the individual stages, however, was shrouded in mystery until recently. Equally mysterious was the phenomenal work's method of operation. For a long time, it was not even believed that the garden depicted on numerous period engravings had even ever existed, and it was considered that the individual components were not actually implemented and that the set of engravings was used only to represent some idealized existence. Archaeological research, however, was able to prove that the structures depicted in the engravings really did exist. In 2003 and 2005, archaeological research by the Karlovy Vary Museum discovered the remains of the "Long Channel", a billabong of the Bystřice River that ran in parallel with the facade of the castle buildings. The garden and other castle buildings, as well as the town itself, was fed by a supply of sophisticated water distribution. The Bystřice River flowing beneath the fortification walls of Ostrov provided plenty of water, but it could not flow to the fountains and houses of the higher-lying town. This was resolved by the flow of the Jáchymov Creek above the town, also known as the Veseřice, from which water could be led to the town and lower-lying gardens by gravity alone. The water supply was led through an open canal along a path from Ostrov to Jáchymov. The water flowing from the Mill Canal was used for the castle garden. In the Prospect Wall ("Prospektmaur") of the castle grounds, which was built in 1691-1711 before the medieval fortification wall, it flowed sharply down in cascades in the grotto of the "Large Man Tower" before flowing into a large pool. During the extensive adaptation of the Ostrov Castle into municipal offices in 2012-2015, other important findings also revealed elements related to the technological operation of the garden - the remains of the water systems. Archaeological research revealed five canals with a single support canal that brought water to the fountains of the northern part of the garden. All canals were in a preserved state but led to a large central canal which had previously been sunken and partially filled in. Stopping the flow of the water, as well as its retention in the damaged sections, brought considerable technical problems to the restored buildings. Drawing on the experience and advice of the recovery of the Kroměříž Flower Garden, the castle park in Ostrov was able to save the majority of its original water systems as an important witness to the technological equipment of the Baroque castle gardens.

Keywords: Ostrov; castle garden; park; Prospect Wall; water distribution; water systems; canals

Published: December 1, 2016  Show citation