Of thecastles, Bučovice is a unique building of the Italian Renaissance north of the Alps. Unlike most of our Renaissance castles, it is not a Renaissance reconstruction of an older residence (castle or fortress), but the implementation of an original project of an Italian late Renaissance building of the “palazzo in fortezza” type and the entire extensive area, including the Renaissance garden, the fortification wall and the moat. The location in the valley is also unusual for that time. It was designed by Jacopo Strada, an educated art connoisseur, historian and architect, who was the administrator of the art collections of three Habsburg emperors – Ferdinand I, Maximilian II and Rudolf II. The arcaded courtyard with 90 columns is noteworthy, which are richly decorated with a total of 540 reliefs, depicting war motifs, coats of arms, fantastic animals and creatures, mascarons and musical instruments. The stonework was carried out by Italians settled in Bohemia, Elia Canavale and Antonio Silva.
The chateau in Bučovice is a unique example of Renaissance architecture in the Czech Republic, with its rich Mannerist interior decoration and a beautiful fountain in the courtyard
