Thirteen kilometers from Louny there is an exceptional location, as yet undiscovered by filmmakers – the Italian Renaissance-style Patek Chateau. Unexpectedly, there is a baroque church right in the middle of the building, created from the main hall during the 18th century alterations. The large farmyard can easily accommodate a full film crew and the caretaker is looking forward to starting filming.
Photo: Tomas Hasl
Italian Renaissance villa 13 km from Louny
When you pass through the passage of the former brewery in the village of Patek, a surprise awaits you: in the middle of the concrete farmyard stands a beautiful Italian Renaissance villa – a rectangular building with a central layout and a façade featuring 3 arcades with balustrades on the first floor – one of the first purely Renaissance buildings in Bohemia.
The center of the building is raised tower-like by half a story above the almost flat roof and crowned with a dormer with a clock and bell tower.
A location not yet discovered by filmmakers
Thanks to the farmyard, which surrounds the chateau so perfectly that it hides it from the view of passers-by, this architectural gem has remained an undiscovered treasure for filmmakers.
And the surprise continues when you enter the interior: when you enter the main hall of the chateau from the first-floor hall through one of the three glass doors, you will find yourself in a Baroque church with wooden panelling and carved pews.
A church in the middle of the building
Above the door, a balcony extends into the church space along the entire length of the entrance wall. The ceiling of the church, as well as the refectory, is decorated with frescoes by the Baroque painter Frantisek Siard Nosecky. In the opposite wall of the church there are again three symmetrical doors, the middle one of which opens a view into the Chapel of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, whose central image of the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus framed by four statues essentially forms the church’s altar.
The history and architecture of Patek Chateau uniquely combine the influences of one of the richest noblemen of the Kingdom of Bohemia, Jan the Younger of Lobkowitz and the Strahov Premonstratensians.
Renaissance and Baroque influences
In the 14th century, the Premonstratensians founded an original Gothic fortress on a low promontory above the Ohre River, on the grounds of which Jan IV built a Renaissance summer palace in the middle of the 16th century. At the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, it underwent Baroque modifications, and in 1750, again in the possession of the Premonstratensians, the main hall of the chateau was transformed into a church.
The area of the church itself is 86m2, the adjacent chapel 40m2, and the church foyer 56m2. The other rooms of the chateau, 14 in total, include modestly furnished abbot’s rooms and the refectory – the monks’ dining room.
On the first floor of the chateau, an exhibition with historical furniture and period objects is currently open to the public. On the ground floor there is an exhibition about famous Patek natives, such as the explorer Emil Holub, and the former cloakroom now houses the museum of the Hussite governor Alsik Skrpa.
The sensitively reconstructed loft area offers a magnificent view of the Bohemian Central Highlands and the Ohre River flowing below the chateau.
Enclosed farmyard complex
The farm buildings form an enclosed area around the chateau, creating greater privacy and quiet for filming.
The courtyard is entered through a baroque gate in the former brewery building. To the left of the entrance gate is the granary, which is currently being reconstructed into accommodation. The baroque barn remains in the same state as it was in when the local farm cooperative used it as a cowhouse.
Patek Chateau and part of the farmyard currently belong to the municipality. The remaining part of the farmyard is privately owned, as is the Renaissance-style mill standing below the chateau.
Plenty of space for crew facilities
The extensive grounds totaling 30,000 m2 with a farmyard area of 10,000 m2 provides plenty of space for the base camp. The farmyard is paved with concrete, and the courtyard can also be entered by truck from the side, not through the baroque gate.
Parking is available in the courtyard or in front of the chateau. Drinking water and electricity are available in the building. A great advantage is that the interior is minimally furnished, but what is there can be used for filming.
The chateau is located 13 km from Louny, where the nearest accommodation and catering options are.
Exceptional architecture and practical benefits for filmmakers
Patek Chateau is an absolutely unique location, both for its architectural values and unique interior design, as well as for its practical advantages for filmmakers, such as sufficient space for setting up a base camp, minimal interior furnishings, and, last but not least, a helpful caretaker.
Barbora Hyskova from the Usti Region Film Office says: “I consider Patek Chateau to be a hidden pearl in the Usti Region. It has the patina that filmmakers love because there have been no major alterations or reconstructions.”
Come scouting this exceptional location. The manager can’t wait to see the first film crew working in the chateau.
Contact for filming in the Usti Region:
Usti Region Film Office, Barbora Hyskova (hyskova.b@kr-ustecky.cz, +420 778 494 321)