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History
The town received a new dominat structure formed by the Renaissance tower of the St. Lawrence church built by Francesco Garof de Bissone from Italy. The same architect was engaged by Oldřich Krajíř of Krajek to build a new chateau mentioned in Dačice records for the first time in 1591. The architecture of the chateau is inspired by north Italian town palaces with four wings enclosing a square courtyard. Its Renaissance origin is recalled by two storeys of arcade-loggias in the main northern wing.
After the family of Krajíř of Krajek died out, the chateau owners changed in short intervals and protracted property lawsuits prevented repairs which had become necessary after two fires in the 17th century. When Jindřich Karel of Ostein purchased the estate in 1728 it finally was possible to start a fundamental reconstruction of the chateau supervised by Francesco Camelli. The chateau tower above the southern wing owes it character to these alterations.
The last reconstruction which gave the Dačice Chateau its present appearance is connected with the names of subsequent owners - the Dalbergs who came to Dačice at the beginning of the 19th century. Architect Riedl from Vienna altered the chateau's exterior in Empire style in 1816 and fifteen years later Schleps, another Viennese architect, brought the chateau's interiors into harmony with its Empire frontage.
The Dalbergs held Dačice till 1940 when their family died on and their property was inherited by the Salm-Salms. In 1945 Dačice Chateau became property of the Czechoslovak State. Building alterations carried out in the 19th century transformed the originally Renaissance chateau into a harmonious example of the Empire style architecture respected fully by the furnishings of most rooms as we can see them today.
