Zprávy památkové péče 2017, 77(6):681-687

The nationalization of Nova Stránov and its other fates during the Communist period

Alena Nachtmannová

NPÚ, ÚOP středních Čech

The article, using the example of one heritage building, attempts to map the course of the nationalization of castles in the second half of the 1940's and their further fates. The Šimonka family, to whom Nový Stránov belonged, was among the so-called industrial nobility and was very loyal to the Czechoslovak Republic. The castle of Nový Stránov was owned by the family since 1917. The castle was built through the reconstruction of a medieval castle first in the Renaissance style, later in the Baroque style. During the rebuilding, the castle church was built and an extensive forecastle area and gardens were built. The last reconstruction from the late 19th century adapted the building to modern housing requirements and allowed for year-round habitation. The castle was nationalized in accordance with Act No. 142/1947 Coll. on the revision of the first land reform, with the decision itself being notified to the owners on 8 March 1948. Subsequently, the castle was taken over by the National Cultural Commission, but its use was not decided for a long time. Initially, there was the possibility that the family could continue to live there. In 1950, the castle itself was handed over to the Ministry of National Defense as a space for archive storage, while the service buildings in the forecastle area were taken over by the Czechoslovak state, namely Bezno, which also took over the land of the former estate. As for the movable items, the National Cultural Commission took 40 valuable items to be transferred to a collection point in the Mnichovo Hradiště Castle, while the rest was taken over by the Ministry of National Defense. This part of the mobiliary became lost in the years to come. The Šimonka family had to move out of the castle and were permitted to take only personal belongings and the furnishings of a few rooms. In 1951, it was taken over by the Central National Committee of Prague and converted into a children's home there. Over the following years, the building slowly dilapidated - the individual users did not have the means and often did not even care about the allocated buildings. All maintenance performed was purely functional with no regard to the heritage character of the building. The castle church was left completely without maintenance and completely vanished, so a demolition was ordered in 1987 due to the impending collapse of the roof. The demolition, fortunately, never took place. In 2003, the castle was returned to the descendants of the original owners, who are slowly repairing the property.

Keywords: Nový Stránov, post-war confiscation of property, National Cultural Commission

Published: December 1, 2017  Show citation