The multi-century history of old buildings and their beautiful gardens in Europe is so much more extensive and interesting than anything we have in America, simply by virtue of their ages and I am always fascinated to learn about them. The Chateau Mcely, located in the Czech Republic countryside, is one of those special properties with a rich history.
This beautiful chateau is located in Mcely, a picturesque village about an hour outside of Prague with original, historical wooden buildings and a 16th century Baroque church. It has about 300 residents, and its surroundings are a popular recreation area, primarily for the residents of nearby Prague.
The town is located on the edge of the beautiful St George Forest – well known for its ancient healing tradition of the Nine Flowers, which is still alive and well today. Experienced old herbalists still collect the nine midsummer blooms at the end of June to create healing teas and curative balms. Chateau Mcely’s owners create their own products such as body lotions and facial products, which contain some of these flowers and herbs. They smell heavenly!
The chateau was originally built by Octavian Ladislav of Wallenstein in 1698 as a hunting lodge on the former site of a Celtic settlement. It was expanded in the mid-1800s and was said to have been visited at one point by Mark Twain in the 1860s.
Just before World War II, the chateau and gardens were owned by Prince Luigi della Torre e Tasso and his wife Fanny Goodyear, daughter of the famous tire company. Unfortunately, as with many properties throughout the Czech Republic at this time, their property was confiscated with the advent of communism and they were forced to leave their home. The property slowly went into disrepair for the next 65+ years.
In 2004, the chateau and its gardens were acquired and extensively renovated by James and Inez Cusumano and they have converted it to a lovely five-star hotel.
As soon as we checked into the chateau, our group went for a walk around the property and took in the beautiful gardens. The pathways meander throughout the property introducing you to a “silence only” tranquility area around their pool and their natural and non-fussy country gardens.
They had a charming vegetable garden, which was winding down for the year by the time we saw it, but it still had many herbs and a few tomatoes. I appreciated the beauty of their less formal vegetable boxes, trellises and planting areas. Don’t you just love this trellis?
Their flower cutting garden was adjacent to their vegetable garden and still contained a handful of roses.
If you happen to be in Prague and want to get away from the city for a day or two, you might find this country retreat a welcome addition to your itinerary.
