To continue our program of ukulele retreats that took place in the wonderful setting of Želiv, we have decided to change location to the Chateau of Kostelec nad Černými Lesy.

The program and subject matter are yet to be announced, but you can be sure it will be great fun and enlightening.

Currently Christopher and Sammy are working on the program, I am sure that you will not be dissappointed.

The structure will be the same as previously, Wednesday arrivals and introduction, 3 full days of tuition, play and late night jams finishing with our traditional concert on Saturday evening.

If you want to dress up for the concert or do something special, bring the ideas and any stage items with you.

This retreat will take place in the chateau at Kostelec which is about a 30 minute drive from Prague and is accessible by bus from central Prague.. The venue is perfect for such an event with everything we need on site.

About the chateau - Kostelec nad Černými Lesy

The original castle, named Černý Kostelec, is first mentioned in 1348, although the area had been settled by colonists as early as the first half of the 13th century. In the mentioned year, Margrave John Henry, brother of Emperor Charles IV, agreed, based on a treaty concluded by their father John of Luxembourg in the first quarter of the 14th century, to exchange the estate and castle "Costelicz in Nygra Sylva" for the Náchod Castle.

The first known non-royal owner of Černý Kostelec was Ješek of Náchod. His sons sold the castle and estate to Jan Sekretarius, from whom it was acquired in 1492 by the Slavat family of Chlum and Košumberk. For participating in the first estate uprising of 1547, Diviš Slavata had his property confiscated by the Czech King Ferdinand I.

After the castle was partially destroyed by fire in 1548, King Ferdinand I of Habsburg initiated its reconstruction into a Renaissance chateau. The architects behind this project were Hans Tirol and Ulrico Aostalli de Sala.

In 1588, Černý Kostelec passed into the ownership of Jaroslav Smiřický of Smiřice, who converted the chateau into the main residence of his family and continued its transformation into a representative estate. However, the Smiřický family's property was confiscated by Emperor Ferdinand II after the Battle of White Mountain in 1621 due to their participation in the estate uprising and their Evangelical Lutheran faith. The Černý Kostelec estate was subsequently acquired by Albrecht of Wallenstein, who sold it in 1623 to Karl I of Liechtenstein.

Under Liechtenstein ownership, the chateau was remodeled in the Baroque style in 1759 by Duchess Maria Theresa of Savoy-Liechtenstein, based on designs by Tyrolean builder Josef Jager. The chateau then became her residence and hosted her court.

After the abolition of the manorial system, part of the chateau housed the district court from 1850 and served as an administrative center for the estate.

Following the establishment of Czechoslovakia, the Černý Kostelec chateau and estate were expropriated from the Liechtenstein family during the land reforms of 1928 and transferred to state ownership. Currently, the chateau is home to Lesy ČZU, the university forest estate of the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague

Due to the large price increase of holding our retreats at the fantastic Želiv monastery, we have unfortunately had to find a alternative venue which can offer the same sort of ukulele magic.

We have managed to agree with the chateau at Kostelec nad Černamy Lesy (Kostelec above the black forest) which is located about 40 km from Prague.

The town has many restaurants and also a brewery available for evening meals and strums.

Come and join us at this new exciting location with Christopher and Sammy. If you have any questions about the accommodation or the retreat program, please feel free to contact me.

The program will be in English.