The Kitchen |
| Back to home page |
The Kitchen
The best admired part is the old
chateau kitchen. It is a single unit including
its entrance, and a small
room for the head cook, which
now contains a display
of historic scales. The
kitchen ceased to be used in
May 1945 and had been used from
then on as a storeroom, the wiring
and wooden panelling reflecting this
fact. This area was
reconstructed in the winter of 1999 to 2000
with the intention of
returning its appearance to that of
100 years ago. The
floor was
preserved, although the original owners had
repaired it unevenly and with
different materials in several places. An
interesting point is that around
the stove, where grease and water could be spattered, ceramic tiles had
been used, while the
rest of the floor
was polished arenaceous marl.
The wooden panelling was cleaned
and only severely damaged parts were replaced with new wood
and newly grained. The difference is obvious
and is a result
not only
of the
possibilities offered by new
materials and the skill of modern craftsmen, but also of a desire to mark the
difference between the old and the
new. The large stove had been fed
only through a
small door using dry
wood which was stored in a
space behind a sliding door. The stove
had ovens, a container for heating
water and a compartment for smoking
meat. The meat hung from a shaft
which was turned by a fan powered
by hot air coming up the chimney. Another door above the stove leads into the
chimney where meat could also be
smoked. The water container was
made of copper and could hold 74
litres of water which could be
drawn through a tap. Today, a stainless
steel lining has been inserted which can hold up to
14 litres. Little has been
preserved from the original equipment of the chateau
kitchen, so we were able to
install only the few things which had survived
the cruel era of hatred for all that was connected
with the nobility, on the one hand,
and love for one's own property (!), on the other -
ceramics and a few period pieces presented by
the good citizens of
Slatinany. A new feature are also
chairs, specially made to accommodate groups that can be entertained on request.
The cosy
atmosphere of
the Chateau gallery and the
kitchen are an invitation for holding social gatherings, arranged by companies,
or for family celebrations.
Other
premises were reconstructed
in the winter 2000 to 2001. More articles are being brought in to
illustrate how a historical mansion used to be run.
The
scullery and dishing-up space. When
viewing the kitchen one might start to
think of the different manner of
serving meals in those times. Food was carried to
the dining room on large dishes and there the
diners helped themselves or were served.
The taps over the sinks date from the period
between the World War One and Two, but the refuse disposal arrangement in the
corner is more than 100 years old. The stove
there was used for preparing
simple meals for one or two persons.
It also has a hot water
container from which the
water could only be taken with a
ladle.
Pictures:
Reconstruction
work in the kitchen
Reconstruction
work in the kitchen
Kuchynì po obnovì
The
kitchen after reconstruction
| Back to home page |