Published December 2025.
Content
Aventuros at the Wallenstein Family: Giacomo Casanova and the Beginnings of His "Second Life" at Duchcov Chateau in 1798–1958
Marian Hochel
Aventuros at the Wallenstein Family: Giacomo Casanova and the Beginnings of His "Second Life" at Duchcov Chateau in 1798–1958 in Monumentorum Custos 2025/2, pp. 3-19; Studies
This year marks the 240th anniversary of Giacomo Casanova’s (1725–1798) arrival in Duchcov at the castle of Count Josef Karel Emanuel of Wallenstein (1755–1814), who offered the famous Venetian, who presented himself more as a European, the position of librarian and companion. In this position, he was to serve the count and his guests at the Wallenstein residences on the Duchcov-Horní Litvínov estate with his wit and ingenuity. France, Italy, and a number of other European countries, including the Czech Republic, have embraced the legacy of Giacomo Casanova, which, especially this year on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of his birth, has opened up space for redefining his place in European collective memory. His name has become a symbol of Europeanism and libertinism in the Age of Enlightenment and is perhaps more closely associated with no other place in Europe than the former Wallenstein Chateau in Duchcov, where Casanova spent the last thirteen years of his life and where he created the most important part of his literary work between 1785 and 1798. This made him famous even in his own time. To his contemporaries, he was above all a talented writer and adventurer who had masterfully escaped from a Venetian prison, which he later recounted in a captivating manner in his published work The Story of My Escape. He traveled around Europe, offering his services to the elites, among whom he counted himself, as a Rococo cavalier and bearer of French culture with a passion for freedom, which was his priority. He drew on the experiences and insights he gathered during his travels across the European continent and beyond in his next extensive work, The Story of My Life. Although it was published posthumously, it became a sensation soon after its first publication in 1822 and was gradually translated into a number of world languages, including Czech. It cast Casanova in the role of seducer and lover of women, creating an image of him that surprised, amazed, and entertained, shrouded in the legend that Casanova himself had created. He remained a perfect mirror of his time, i.e., the time of the old regime, which, in the context of historical events, symbolically disappeared with him after Casanova’s death. Thanks to researchers studying Casanova’s written legacy in the Wallenstein Chateau archives in Duchcov and then in Mnichovo Hradiště, Casanova’s image was gradually demystified, which in the 1960s contributed to its implementation in a new interpretative framework in the presentation strategy of Duchcov Chateau, which was newly opened to the public for cultural use. Casanova’s literary legacy remained anchored in historical memory here, and in the authentic places where it was largely created, “Aventuros at Wallenstein” began to live its second life.
St. Michael‘s Church in Libkovice near Most – the story of the last demolished sacred building in the mining area
Tomáš Brož – Jiří Bureš
St. Michael‘s Church in Libkovice near Most – the story of the last demolished sacred building in the mining area in Monumentorum Custos 2025/2, pp. 20-63; Studies
The last sacred building demolished due to coal mining in the Most-Teplice region was the Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Libkovice near Most. The oldest written mention from 1284 refers to the Church of St. Nicholas in Libkovice. This medieval building survived until the end of the 19th century, when it was demolished in 1893 due to structural defects. A new church dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel was built in its place. The historicist new building, designed by the architect Zeibich from Most, was consecrated in 1896. In the second half of the 20th century, the village of Libkovice was designated for complete demolition due to the expansion of the mining area. The demolition plan was approved in 1988. In the post-revolutionary period, the demolition of Libkovice became the subject of resistance by some residents and environmental organizations, and the Church of St. Michael the Archangel became a symbol of the fight for Libkovice. In 1993, the church was declared a cultural monument, but a few weeks later, the Ministry of Culture revoked the decision. The church was demolished in 2002 without much interest from the general public.
The pre-Baroque appearance of the church in Krásný Les and its depiction
Václav Zeman
The pre-Baroque appearance of the church in Krásný Les and its depiction in Monumentorum Custos 2025/2, pp. 37-50; Studies
Written sources from the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries provide insight into the construction modifications and furnishings
of the church in Krásný Les in the Ústí nad Labem region. In addition to these sources, two depictions of the church have been preserved on the title pages of parish registers from 1681 and 1771. This provides an even clearer picture of the church’s appearance before its late Baroque reconstruction at the very end of the 18th century. The church is depicted here in its 16th century form, as evidenced by the unified floor plan of the nave and presbytery, as well as the support systém of the presbytery and nave. The entrance to one of the annexes and the gate to the cemetery also show Renaissance features. The high tower on the roof ridge refers to the tradition of Saxon sacral architecture and was probably built during the renovation of the church in the 1650s after its destruction during the Thirty Years’ War. Analogies to this church building can be found just across the border, namely in the churches in Liebenau, Fürstenwalde, and Fürstenau in Saxony.
Project Region University, University of the Region at the Centre for Documentation and Digitization
Veronika Chalupová
Project Region University, University of the Region at the Centre for Documentation and Digitization in Monumentorum Custos 2025/2, pp. 51-56; Reports
The project "Region University, University of the Region," implemented at UJEP in Ústí nad Labem, contributes to the transformation of the region affected by coal mining. Within its framework, the Centre for Documentation and Digitization of Cultural Heritage focuses on the rescue and interpretation of the region's cultural values through two main activities. The first part involves creating a geodatabase of objects transferred from vanished municipalities. The goal is to trace and document monuments or small structures that were relocated in the past, thereby reconstructing the cultural memory of the landscape with the possibility of future restitution of artifacts. The second part of the project maps disappearing structural relics of brown coal mining, such as mining towers and operational buildings in the districts of Ústí nad Labem, Teplice, Most, and Chomutov. The resulting database will ensure the digital preservation of these endangered objects and serve as a basis for the revitalization and territorial development of post-industrial areas.