CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
International Conference
11–13 October 2026
Český Krumlov Castle, Bellaria Summer Palace
CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS: The National Heritage Institute, Regional Historic Site Management in České Budějovice, State Castle and Chateau Český Krumlov, The Foundation of The Baroque Theatre in Český Krumlov, The Silesian University, Faculty of Philosophy and Science in Opava, The National Museum of Agriculture in cooperation with Ivan Day, Petra Burianová and Milan Svoboda.
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
Day 1
Sunday, 11 October 2026
Morning & Afternoon
Arrival of conference contributors, guests and audience
Evening
18:00 Opening of the conference
18:30 Dinner at Bellaria Baroque kitchen
20:00 Magical Table performance for conference participants
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Day 2
Monday, 12 October 2026
Daytime
Conference plenary / round-table discussions in the Study Centre of Český Krumlov Castle
Catering
Lunch cooked in Bellaria kitchen and served in the Study Centre, dinner in the Markéta Tavern in the castle garden
CONFERENCE PLENARY PROGRAMME
Trends in intimate dining among the European nobility in the eighteenth century
Ivan Day – Independent Culinary Historian, United Kingdom
The MagicAL Table in Bellaria: Restoration History
Pavel Slavko - Head of the Administration of the State Castle and Chateau Český Krumlov, Czech Republic
The mechanisms of flying tables in France: principles and originality
Stéphane Castelluccio – Research Director at the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), André-Chastel Centre, Paris, France
The Wishing Table at Weimar’s Belvedere Castle
Friederike von Rosenberg – Director of the Directorate of Castles, Gardens and Buildings at Klassik Stiftung Weimar, Germany
The Invisible Service: the Mathematical Table of the Casina Cinese in Palermo
Carlo Vivirito – Architect, Regione Sicilia, Department of Cultural Heritage, Palermo, Italy
The Flying Chair in the Audience Chamber at Frederiksborg Castle and the History of Denmark’s Now-lost Flying Tables and Chairs
Thomas Lyngby – Independent Historian, External Lecturer at the Saxo Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
The Confidence of the Chinese Pavilion at Drottningholm
Alexander Holm – Curator, The Royal Collections, Royal Court, Stockholm, Sweden
From Royal Secrecy to Public Dining: Reviving Sweden's First Flying Table at Confidencen
Maria Watolla – Producer, Confidencen Theatre, Ulriksdal, Sweden
When Modernism Rediscovers a Baroque Trick: High Tech Dining at the Villa Spies
Mikael Askergren – Independent Writer (Architecture/Urbanism), Stockholm, Sweden
The conference will be held in English.
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Day3
Tuesday, 13 October 2026
Morning
Section A
10:00-12:00
The Baroque Mechanisms of Český Krumlov Castle
The Magical Table of Bellaria Summer Palace; the Baroque Theatre
Section B
10:00-12:00
The Baroque Elements of Aristocratic Cuisine
The Baroque kitchen of Bellaria Summer Palace
Section C
10:00-12:00
The Iconography of Baroque Culinary Arts and Their Symbolism in the Collections of Český Krumlov Castle
The Castle Gallery and Collections
Afternoon
14:30-16:00
Private curated tours of Český Krumlov Castle complex for conference participants and guests:
- Český Krumlov Castle Historical interiors
- The Baroque Theatre
- The Historical Kitchens of Český Krumlov Castle
- Schwarzenberg Library and its Culinary Books
Tours run concurrently; participants must pre-book only one.
Moderators
Markéta Slavková – Lecturer at the Institute of Ethnology and Central European and Balkan Studies, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
Samuel Wittwer – Director of the Department of Palaces and Collections, Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin‑Brandenburg, Germany