Jan Nepomuk Karel (called Hanuš) Count Krakowský-Nowohradský of Kolowrat, Baron of Újezd
(September 12, 1794 in Prague – June 26, 1872, Prague)
Chamberlain and Imperial Privy Council (from 1867)
Knight of Order of Leopold and the Supreme Order of Christ
Holder of the Saxon Cross of Civil Merit
Honorable Knight of the Order of the Knights of Malta
6th Beneficiary of an entailed financial estate
Entitled to the name and emblem of Nowohradský of Kolowrat (from February 24, 1871)
Jan Nepomuk Karel was the first-born son of Joseph Maria Count Krakowsky of Kolowrat, Baron of Újezd (1746-1824) and his second wife, Walburga Countess Morzin (1766-1798). In Prague, he studied law, which he completed in 1816 and subsequently entered the civil service. In 1824, he was awarded the rank of Gubernatorial Council and, by coincidence, in that same year he took over management of his father’s estates in Hradiště, Ptení, Ježov and Březnice. It was the Březnice chateau he literally fell in love with, and had it modified several times. For example, in 1828 he had a clock installed in the tower and thirty years later he expanded the collection of historical weapons in the knight's hall, which he modified accordingly. He also became administrator of Merklín, where he had the local chateau thoroughly rebuilt in 1825.
In 1833, he commissioned the construction of the Empire Burial Chapel of the Holy Cross in Blovice. In the same year, he has the heart of the Archbishop of Prague, Alois Joseph (died 1833) transferred from the Breznice cemetery to the Church of St. Roch, along with the remains of other Kolowrats: Františka Walburga, nee Morzinova, Arnoštka, nee Schlikova and Count Josef Maria. In 1852, he sold the palace on the Wallenstein Square in Lesser Town to Count Adolf Ledeburov. In 1853, he established the Chapel of St. Ondrej, with a painted cassette ceiling, at the Chateau in Hradiste. The chapel was additionally decorated with pictures of Czech saints by Josef Hellich. In 1861, he inherited the Liebstein estate in Rychnově nad Kněžnou, together with Černíkovice (altogether 91 villages), from Frantisek Antonin Liebstein, as well as the wardships of the Nowohradský of Kolowrat - Přimda (Pfrauenberg, or, Frauenberg), Dvory (Mayerhöfen) and Košátky. Ten years later, this led Emperor Franz Joseph I to grant him the highest decision allowing him to sign as Count Kolowrat-Krakowský-Nowohradský and to incorporate the Nowohradský of Kolowrat crest into his existing emblem. In Rychnov, he was instrumental in supporting the amateur theater. After the Battle of Hradec Kralove (July 3, 1866) he transformed the Rychnov Chateau into a hospital for the wounded soldiers. He also had the Chapel of the Holy Cross built at the local cemetery, in the Byzantine style, with decorations painted by Josef Hellich.
Jan became close friends with František Jaroslav Vacek Kamenický (1806-1869), the patriotic poet, who influenced him very much in both his political and national opinions. On December 23, 1822, he was elected to the Administrative Committee of the National Museum Society and virtually stood at the birth of this institution, which he continued to support throughout his life. In 1818, he donated part of his collections and the Breznice library, with many rare first printings and illuminated manuscripts, to the museum. In 1836, he was again named curator of Matice české, the publishing house and cultural institution, which played an important role in the preservation of the Czech language. He became a patron of Czech writers, including, for example Božena Němcová, who later portrayed him in her novel Pohorská vesnice, (The Village Below the Mountains) as Count Hanuš Březenský. He frequently corresponded with writers, most often with Karel Havlíček Borovský. He also did not neglect to support the newly emerging National Theater. He contributed the highest amount to the nationwide public collection for this institution, a total of 4,500 zlatý, which the Kolowrats donated to the construction of the National Theater. During his life, he also played an active role in politics, becoming, for example, a co-organizer of the Slavonic Congress in Prague in 1848.
Since Jan Nepomuk had no descendants, the older line of the Kolowrat family died with him. After his death then, his extensive holdings were divided among several heirs. The Rychnov and Cernikovice estates were given to Theodore Count Krakowsky of Kolowrat (1806-1875). The Krakowsky of Kolowrat inheritance, that is, Týnec and Běšiny, and the entailed estate of the Nowohradský of Kolowrat, that is, Přimda and Košátky, fell to Leopold Count Krakowský of Kolowrat (1852-1910). The newborn Jan Nepomuk Pálffy (born October 10, 1872), inherited the non-testamentary estates of Březnice, Hradiště and Merklín on the basis of his testament, while his father Karel Eduard, Count Pálffy von Erdöd, Earl of Pressburg (1836-1915) was appointed head administrator of these estates, under the condition that he attach the name and the emblem of the Jeníšeks of Újezd to his own name and emblem. In the will, he also commands to establish a fund of over 100,000 zloty for the poor relations of the Krakowskýs of Kolowrat, with the stipulation that after their eventual demise, this fund is only to be used by the descendants of the historical Czech Pobelohorska nobility. To the Piarist College in Rychnov nad Kněžnou, he donated 10,000 zloty.
He was buried in the family tomb in the chateau church of the Holy Trinity in Rychnov nad Kněžnou. On 23 July 1939, his monument was unveiled in Březnice. On this occasion, a chronicle of historical records was published in memory of Hanuš, with a collection of old records, correspondence and evaluating contributions. Its appendices included a number of portraits from the Březnice family gallery, and the dustjacket featured Hanuš's portrait in the uniform of the Order of the Knights of Malta. On some of the portraits we can see that he wore a black band over his eye. Also included was the Earl’s coat of arms from1836, that is, the combined Krakowsky of Kolowrat and Jeníšek from Újezd coat of arms.
