Since the end of the 19th century, the Žampach Chateau Park has been home to an important arboretum with many rare tree species. The castle itself and its park were adapted to their present form by the Lützow family, who worked here until the 1930s. The owner and administrator of the estate, František Lützow, came from an old noble family originally from northern Italy and held important positions in diplomacy in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Besides politics, he was also interested in history and literature, and was a great supporter of the Czech nation and an expert on Czech history. His hobby was also botany, especially dendrology, to which he devoted himself together with his wife Anna Gustava. In 1884, they became the owners of the Žampach estate and began to rebuild the entire area in a modern style with landscaped chateau gardens. They also had a unique arboretum created as part of the garden, which included rare species of trees and plants. The park was maintained in its original state until the 1930s, when the Lützow family finally left Žamberk. After the war, no one followed up on their efforts and until the 1980s the whole area fell into disrepair and many valuable species were lost. In the 1990s it was decided the arboretum will be restored and today there are about 600 species of trees here, together with information boards and the Sensory Park nature trail for disabled visitors. Although the park is run as a general arboretum, it is divided into thematic units with pines, firs, oaks or magnolias, as well as a bamboo garden, a winter garden and a hippodrome. A special feature of the arboretum is the collection of Witch`s Brooms, i.e. misshapen branches growing naturally on healthy trees with often bizarre shapes.

Keywords: botany; arboretum; botanical garden; dendrology; František Lützow

Žampach arboretum