The Serényis are not the Kostkas from Kostka: Discover the film The Last Aristocrat

Evžen Boček’s series Aristokratka o rodině Kostků z Kostky (The Aristocrat of the Kostka Family) about the Kostka family began in 2012 with the book Poslední aristokratka (The Last Aristocrat) and continues with the book Aristokratka na smrtelné pohovce (The Aristocrat on the Deathbed), which will be published in 2025. Literary experts consider Boček’s works to be among the best humorous literature in Czechia. Fans of travel and excursions may be interested to know that the popularity of these books has led to an increase in the number of visitors and, above all, has aroused the curiosity of those who come to the castle in Milotice. Evžen Boček has been the castle warden there for almost thirty years.

The Last Aristocrat in the cinema

Unlike the hostile castellan of Kostka Castle, who calls tourists mouflons and hides from them in the catacombs, Evžen Boček does not hide anywhere, but admits that he has complicated the situation. Many people bring books with them on their trip to Milotice, which they want him to sign, and their questions about details and other entertaining stories from his work as a castle warden usually never end. But you won’t learn anything secret: Milotice is not Kostka, there are no catacombs or Helena Vondráčková’s wedding bedroom.

Perhaps the timing of the film premiere of The Last Aristocrat was ideal for the castle keeper’s peace of mind: the film hit cinemas at the end of October 2019, just a few days before the castle closed for the winter. Visitors had to wait until spring for tours of the historic interiors, walksthrough the garden and horticulture in replicas of Baroque, Rococo and Romantic dresses, and other curious questions.

Who were the Serényis?

Thanks to the film characters of the Kostka family, we should not forget the real owners of Milotice Castle, the Hungarian noble family of Serényi: thanks to their renovations, the castle became a true Baroque gem of south-eastern Moravia. The Serényi family came to the Czech lands at the end of the 16th century and owned, for example, the castles of Nový Světlov and Lysice, as well as the estate in Lomnice near Tišnov, where they built a castle and the magnificent Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary, as well as town houses, including the town hall and a Marian column. The Serényi family was also involved in the founding of the Luhačovice spa: the local springs Vincentka, Ottovka, Amandka and Aloiska are named after important members of the family. For more than a hundred years, the family also owned a castle in Blatná in South Bohemia, and in nearby Paštiky, a Baroque church dedicated to St. John the Baptist was built according to a design by K. I. Dientzenhofer.

Something new for Christmas television?

The film The Last Aristocrat, like the first book, tells the story of the family of Frank Kostka (Hynek Čermák), a descendant of the Czech noble family, who returns with his wife Vivien (Tatiana Dyková) and daughter Marie (Yvona Stolařová) from New York to Bohemia in the 1990s to take over the family estate.

However, he finds Kostka Castle in terrible condition, as is the staff: the castellan (Martin Pechlát) chases away tourists, the cook (Eliška Balzerová) constantly drinks walnut liqueur, and the handyman (Pavel Liška) devotes himself to excessive health instead of work. The author of these stories, Mr. Boček, also plays a small role: can you spot him? Or will you only realise his role when you see the credits at the end?

Director Jiří Vejdělek shot most of the film at Lemberk Castle, but as soon as you walk through the gate with the characters, you find yourself in a courtyard with poultry: this is Boček’s “home” in Milotice. The filmmakers also visited Buchlovice Castle in Rájec nad Svitavou and finally stopped at Jaroslavice Castle in the Znojmo region. And what is the result? According to film critic Mirka Spáčilová, thanks to its picturesque winter atmosphere, the film has the potential to become a perennial favourite for Christmas television.

Did you know?

• • Through gradual inheritance, Milotice Castle came into the possession of its last owner, Ladislav Seilerna, who lived there with his wife Antoinetta and their four children. The tour route is based on the memories of their daughter Marietka, or Marie Henrietta (1918–2008).

• • The Last Aristocrat was not Boček’s first literary work: under the pseudonym Jan Bittner, he published The Castle Keeper’s Diary in 2000. This novel was not successful when it was first published, and most readers only come across it thanks to the success of the series about the aristocrat. Don’t miss it, it’s different, dark and very good.

• • Boček’s Aristokratka has also been adapted for the stage. Directed by Arnošt Goldflam, it is performed by Prague’s Divadlo Na Jezerce theatre, and performances starring Anna Polívková, Jan Hrušínský and Miluše Šplechtová in the leading roles are almost always sold out.