The Great Country Houses of Europe: The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland

Preeminent scholar Lord Michael Pratt brings his passion for history and grand architecture together in three texts that take readers on tours through the magnificent country homes of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland. Beginning in the Middle Ages and continuing to the present day, these authoritative studies analyze these countries' most important estates, chronicling the dramatic histories of the noble families that constructed and remodeled castles, fortresses, and baroque manors to suit their tastes and herald their wealth and power. Based on Pratt's seminal work, The Great Country Houses of Central Europe, the three books in this series take the scholarship on these regions several steps further. Each book concludes with an entirely new chapter that provides a house-by-house survey describing and commenting on the restorations--or lack thereof--of the featured estates as they stand today. Pratt helps his readers look at the homes with an expert eye, and a new practical guide includes hours of operation for those who wish to see the estates themselves. The Great Country Houses books are richly illustrated with specially commissioned photography, featuring images of houses, the families who built them, gardens, grounds, and interiors.