Zámeček Petrovice is a historic building located in Petrovice u Karviné, right on the border between Poland and the Czech Republic. At the end of the 19th century it was the residence of Baroness Marie Louise von Wallaresee, the favorite niece of the Austrian Empress Elizabeth, best known as Sissi. In 2012 the castle underwent a major renovation. The current owner of the property is Jolanta Burkot. The complex has 35 rooms in the main building and the Larish Villa, a modern spa located in a beautiful park, an elegant restaurant, a large lobby, banquet halls, a bowling alley, and wine cellars. Zámeček Petrovice's location offers guests privacy and comfort with a choice of numerous services directly on site.
Zámeček Petrovice History
Between Poland and the Czech Republic runs the Piotrówka River, which flows through the picturesque area of Cieszyn Silesia. It is worth following in its footsteps, because just abroad, in the town of Piersna in the Czech Republic, on its banks, on a wooded hill, from which the unique panorama of Fryštát can be seen, stands a classical palace with aristocratic roots, whose former inhabitants were involved in the Mayerling tragedy.
The beginning of the palace dates back to 1796, when a representative of an old Silesian family, Wojciech Gusnar, Komorno knight, bought the small village of Piersna from Count Jan Larisch. In the center of the landscaped park, the new owner built a two-wing palace in the Empire style.
The main wing had a triangular gable, characteristic of Greek and Roman monumental buildings, once decorated with the coat of arms of the owners. The main entrance is adorned with a balcony, supported by Tuscan columns, and a pitched roof with small skylights. Inside, the trustees took care of the stucco decorations and collected an extremely impressive library.
In 1879, the Gussnars sold the village back to the Larisch family. The palace thus became the residence of Georg and Maria Luisa Larisch von Mönichs. The fate of the counts definitely entered the history of the Austrian monarchy. Baroness Maria Luiza von Wallersee was the favorite niece of the Austrian Empress Elizabeth, also known as Sisi. It was the Empress who brought Maria to the Viennese court and soon gave her in marriage to Count Georg Larisch, nephew of Count Jan Larisch, owner of the Karviná majorat. The young couple lived in Piersna's small palace, which reminded Maria of a jewelry box, for only four years.
Maria was a famous figure in aristocratic circles, where she met Henry Baltazzi, who soon became her lover. In 1888 Maria Larisch introduced Maria Vetsera, Baltazzi's cousin, to Archduke Rudolf, whose marriage was not going well. On December 30, 1889, Maria Larisch took young Maria Vetsera to Schoenbrunn Palace for a secret meeting with the archduke. From there, Maria Vetsera went to the hunting palace in Mayerling, where Rudolf later joined her. The mysterious circumstances of their suicide death remain a mystery to this day. After the events of Mayerling, when the matchmaker's role was revealed, Maria Larisch fell out of favor with the imperial court and soon returned to Bavaria alone. In 1896 her marriage to Count Larisch ended.
After the tragic events of Mayerling and the breakdown of her marriage to Count Larisch, Maria married opera singer Otto Brucks, who died in 1914. During World War I she worked at the front as a Red Cross sister. In 1920 a film was made about Empress Sisi, in which Maria Larisch played herself.
After the war, in 1924, she left for America and married a Florida farmer, William Henry Mayers. William, however, turned out to be an impostor, who counted on the title and fortune of the European countess. In 1926 she left him and fled to New Jersey, where she worked as a cook and housekeeper. In 1929 she returned to her hometown of Augsburg, where, eleven years later, she died poor and forgotten.
Meanwhile, in 1893, the Piersna mansion became the property of Count Larisch of Karviná. During the division of the estate in 1927, the estate and park were sold, and, after renovation, the Czech elementary school occupied the second floor.
In 1947 the mansion was sold again, this time to Szczepan and Marta Wnuk. After their deaths, it became the property of the Karviná National Council and, since 1985, of the Jednota - Unity in Český Těšín association, which turned the building into a hotel and restaurant. In 1999 the building was returned to its legal heirs.
In October 2012, the mansion and grounds were purchased by the TRESTLES company. The structure has been renovated and refurbished. The park and the access road surrounding the palace were profoundly modified.