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56-502: According to legend, the castle Veveří (literally " squirrel 's" in Czech) was founded by Přemyslid Duke Conrad of Brno in the middle of the 11th century, as a hunting lodge. Nevertheless, the first credible recorded mention about the castle is from the years 1213 and 1222, when King Ottokar I of Bohemia used the fortified castle as a prison for rebellious peers. Initially, it was apparently a wooden or masonry residence situated near

112-522: A large stray dog in Lazo, Russia . Squirrel attacks on humans are exceedingly rare, but do occur. Whitaker examined the stomachs of 139 thirteen-lined ground squirrels and found bird flesh in four of the specimens and the remains of a short-tailed shrew in one; Bradley, examining the stomachs of white-tailed antelope squirrels , found at least 10% of his 609 specimens' stomachs contained some type of vertebrate, mostly lizards and rodents. Morgart observed

168-613: A near-cosmopolitan distribution. This further supports the hypothesis that the common ancestor of all squirrels, living and fossil, lived in North America, as these three most ancient lineages seem to have radiated from there; if squirrels had originated in Eurasia , for example, one would expect quite ancient lineages in Africa , but African squirrels seem to be of more recent origin. The main group of squirrels can be split into five subfamilies:

224-429: A number of noteworthy renovations and reconstructions carried out, primarily of the palace. These renovations included a large-scale rebuilding of the "loft" above the palace, and the great dining room with its notable frescoes. Since 2002, the castle is again open to the public, including guided tours of the palace. The complete restoration of all buildings, furniture, courtyards and parks will take many years. The castle

280-713: A period of diurnality during the summer. During hot periods, squirrels have been documented to sploot , or lay their stomachs down on cool surfaces. Squirrels, like other rodents, employ species-specific strategies to store food, buffering against periods of scarcity. In temperate regions, squirrels commonly cache nuts beneath leaf litter, inside hollow trees, or underground. However, in subtropical and humid environments, traditional caching can lead to mold growth, decomposition, or premature germination. To counteract these challenges, some squirrels, particularly in subtropical zones, hang nuts or mushrooms on tree branches. This behavior, believed to minimize fungal infections and reduce

336-421: A tree headfirst. They do so by rotating their ankles 180 degrees, enabling the hind feet to point backward and thus grip the tree bark from the opposite direction. As their large eyes indicate, squirrels have excellent vision , which is especially important for the tree-dwelling species. Many also have a good sense of touch , with vibrissae on their limbs as well as their heads. The teeth of sciurids follow

392-467: A white-tailed antelope squirrel capturing and eating a silky pocket mouse . The living squirrels are divided into five subfamilies , with about 58 genera and some 285 species . The oldest squirrel fossil, Hesperopetes , dates back to the Chadronian (late Eocene , about 40–35 million years ago ) and is similar to modern flying squirrels. A variety of fossil squirrels, from the latest Eocene to

448-592: A wide variety of plants, as well as nuts , seeds , conifer cones , fruits , fungi , and green vegetation . Some squirrels, however, also consume meat, especially when faced with hunger. Squirrels have been known to eat small birds , young snakes , and smaller rodents, as well as bird eggs and insects . Some tropical squirrel species have shifted almost entirely to a diet of insects. Squirrels, like pigeons and other fauna, are synanthropes , in that they benefit and thrive from their interaction in human environments. This gradual process of successful interaction

504-404: Is built is the tallest and oldest of the ten currently visible towers of Veveří Castle, built in the early 13th century as the primary deense element of the oldest building stage of the castle. The palace is the main residential castle building, created by connecting the keep and two medieval palaces. The former Gothic chapel of St. Procopius in the palace, which originally extended vertically from

560-730: Is called synurbanization, wherein squirrels lose their inherent fear of humans in an urban environment. When squirrels were almost completely eradicated during the Industrial Revolution in New York , they were later re-introduced to "entertain and remind" humans of nature. The squirrel blended into the urban environment so efficiently that when synanthropic behavior stops (i.e. people do not leave trash outside during particularly cold winters), they can become aggressive in their search for food. Aggression and predatory behavior has been observed in various species of ground squirrels, in particular

616-702: Is of Common Germanic origin, cognates of which are still used in other Germanic languages , including the German Eichhörnchen (diminutive of Eichhorn , which is not as frequently used); the Norwegian ikorn / ekorn ; the Dutch eekhoorn ; the Swedish ekorre and the Danish egern . A group of squirrels is called a "dray" or a "scurry". Squirrels are generally small animals, ranging in size from

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672-494: Is soft and silky, though much thicker in some species than others. The coat color of squirrels is highly variable between—and often even within—species. In most squirrel species, the hind limbs are longer than the forelimbs, while all species have either four or five toes on each foot. The feet, which include an often poorly developed thumb , have soft pads on the undersides and versatile, sturdy claws for grasping and climbing . Tree squirrels , unlike most mammals, can descend

728-460: Is usually entered via the so-called Southern Gate. This originally Gothic gate was rebuilt in the late Renaissance style in 1626. Above the portals, there are coats of arms belonging to Zigmund of Tiefenbach and his two wives, Kateřina of Lomnice and Bohunka of Zierotin. Leading from the Southern Gate to the palace is the castle bridge, mentioned as one of the first ferro-concrete structures in

784-530: Is very fine, making it better for tying fishing flies. When the squirrel sits upright, its tail folded up its back may stop predators looking from behind from seeing the characteristic shape of a small mammal. Squirrels live in almost every habitat, from tropical rainforest to semiarid desert , avoiding only the high polar regions and the driest of deserts . They are predominantly herbivorous , subsisting on seeds and nuts, but many will eat insects and even small vertebrates. Many juvenile squirrels die in

840-548: The African pygmy squirrel and least pygmy squirrel at 10–14 cm (3.9–5.5 in) in total length and just 12–26 g (0.42–0.92 oz) in weight, to the Bhutan giant flying squirrel at up to 1.27 m (4 ft 2 in) in total length, and several marmot species, which can weigh 8 kg (18 lb) or more. Squirrels typically have slender bodies with very long very bushy tails and large eyes. In general, their fur

896-620: The Callosciurinae , 60 species mostly found in South East Asia ; the Ratufinae , 4 cat-sized species found in south and southeast Asia ; the Sciurinae , which contains the flying squirrels (Pteromyini) and the tree squirrels , 83 species found worldwide; Sciurillinae , a single South American species; and Xerinae , which includes three tribes of mostly terrestrial squirrels, including

952-485: The Marmotini ( marmots , chipmunks , prairie dogs , and other Holarctic ground squirrels), Xerini (African and some Eurasian ground squirrels), and Protoxerini (African tree squirrels). Gustavus, Crown Prince of Sweden Prince Gustav of Vasa, Count of Itterburg ( German : Gustav, Prinz von Wasa ; 9 November 1799 at Stockholm – 4 August/5 August 1877 at Pillnitz ), born Crown Prince of Sweden ,

1008-490: The Miocene , have not been assigned with certainty to any living lineage. At least some of these probably were variants of the oldest basal "protosquirrels" (in the sense that they lacked the full range of living squirrels' autapomorphies ). The distribution and diversity of such ancient and ancestral forms suggest the squirrels as a group may have originated in North America. Apart from these sometimes little-known fossil forms,

1064-677: The Romanesque church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary west of the present compound. In the 1220s, a stone castle on the extremity of the rocky promontory behind a deep moat cut out of the rock started to grow. The so-called keep is the only structure which has remained well-preserved from this oldest building stage. King John of Bohemia pledged the castle to nobleman Jan of Vartemberk in 1311, but his son, Margrave of Moravia Charles (later Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV ), received

1120-894: The manor house in the nearby town of Rosice . The castle chapel was removed in the process. He died in Hungary in 1896, at the age of 64. His widow Clara de Hirsch died three years later, on 1 April 1899. At that point, Maurice de Forest inherited his adoptive father's residence in Moravia, then part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire .During Maurice de Forest's time as proprietor, Winston Churchill and his wife Clementine spent several days in Veveří Castle during their honeymoon journey throughout Europe in 1908. Churchill had stayed there alone twice before. Maurice de Forest and his family resided at Veveří Castle until 1925, when he sold it to

1176-459: The phylogeny of the living squirrels is fairly straightforward. The three main lineages are the Ratufinae (Oriental giant squirrels), Sciurillinae and all other subfamilies. The Ratufinae contain a mere handful of living species in tropical Asia . The neotropical pygmy squirrel of tropical South America is the sole living member of the Sciurillinae. The third lineage, by far the largest, has

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1232-402: The thirteen-lined ground squirrel . For example, Bernard Bailey, a scientist in the 1920s, observed a thirteen-lined ground squirrel preying upon a young chicken . Wistrand reported seeing this same species eating a freshly killed snake . There has also been at least one report of squirrels preying on atypical animals, such as an incident in 2005 where a pack of black squirrels killed and ate

1288-431: The 17th century with two vaulted rooms, one above the other. The renovation plans call for it to be made into a space for cultural events. At the southeastern corner of the castle stands the so-called Eastern Prismatic Tower, built in the 14th century to protect the castle area from the east. South of this tower archaeological remains have been uncovered of walls of a medieval Eastern Castle Palace, which probably dates from

1344-551: The 17th century, compound belonged to the House of Collalto . Later, when the House of Sinzendorf (1707–1804) replaced this family, an extensive reconstruction was realized, and since that time, the exterior structure of the castle has remained practically unchanged. In 1742, the Prussian Army , having gained entry by the treachery of the castle steward, pillaged the interior of the estate. At

1400-612: The Americas, Eurasia, and Africa, and were introduced by humans to Australia. The earliest known fossilized squirrels date from the Eocene epoch, and among other living rodent families, the squirrels are most closely related to the mountain beaver and dormice . The word squirrel , first attested in 1327, comes from the Anglo-Norman esquirel which is from the Old French escurel ,

1456-931: The Netherlands , but political pressure forced an end to any wedding plans. On 9 November 1830, he married in Karlsruhe his first cousin Princess Louise Amelie of Baden (5 June 1811 in Schwetzingen – 19 July 1854 in Karlsruhe ). They divorced in 1843. A son, Louis, was born in 1832 but died shortly after birth. Their daughter, Princess Carola , married the Catholic Albert, King of Saxony , but they had no issue. Gustaf died on 5 August 1877. In 1884, his (and his infant son's) remains were moved to Stockholm, to be buried beside his father. Martin Butzke portrays Gustav of Vasa in

1512-478: The appearance of these palaces. Beyond the courtyard lies the so-called English Wing, constructed in the second half of the 17th century in the corridor between the Gothic calls. The ground floor served to park horse carriages, while the first floor was used as an armory and later as a granary. The building stands in need of extensive and costly renovation. Yet further along is found the so-called Backyard Palace, erected in

1568-414: The beginning of the 19th century, an industrial magnate, Vilém Mundy, purchased the castle. Although he had earlier arrived in the area as a simple wayfaring traveler, he achieved prominence and wealth after establishing a cloth factory in 1780 and then successfully managing his trade. In essence, he worked his way up until he could own Veveří Castle. In 1830, a Swedish émigré, Prince Gustavus Wasa , son of

1624-415: The castle in vain during the years 1428–32. During the second half of the 15th century, the castle was rented by Przemyslaus II of Těšín , who decided to reinforce the castle with the construction of surrounding walls. In 1468, King of Hungary and antiking of Bohemia Matthias Corvinus started his occupation of the castle. At the end of the 15th century, Václav of Ludanice acquired the castle and became

1680-528: The compound is the result of these building activities, giving the castle its basic silhouette of a medieval fortress. The castle was a military-civic centre around a manor until the Hussite Wars . During the Hussite wars, Emperor Sigismund positioned mercenary forces of his son-in-law, Albrecht of Austria , around the castle, but he later pledged it to local nobleman Petr Kutěj in 1424. The Hussites besieged

1736-452: The deposed and exiled King of Sweden, Gustav IV , bought the castle and systematically began to rebuild it as the representative seat of his family. This nobleman lived at the estate with his spouse, Princess Louisa . Nevertheless, he divorced in 1844, and the property went to a Greek banker, Baron Georgios Sinas . Before he died in 1856, Sinas divided his family possessions. His granddaughter Helena obtained Veveří Castle, but at that time she

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1792-493: The female alone looks after the young, which are weaned at six to ten weeks and become sexually mature by the end of their first year. In general, the ground-dwelling squirrel species are social, often living in well-developed colonies, while the tree-dwelling species are more solitary. Ground squirrels and tree squirrels are usually either diurnal or crepuscular , while the flying squirrels tend to be nocturnal —except for lactating flying squirrels and their young, which have

1848-425: The first representative of his noble family which resided here. But his mismanagement of expenses and debts resulted in the family's eventual sale of manor . During the years 1531–1537, Jan of Pernštejn and Jan of Lipá stayed at Veveří Castle. In successive years, the castle changed hands quickly. In 1609, Zikmund von Tiefenbach acquired the castle by marriage. Rudolf von Tiefenbach , an older brother of Zikmund,

1904-422: The first year of life. Adult squirrels can have a lifespan of 5 to 10 years in the wild. Some can survive 10 to 20 years in captivity. Premature death may occur when a nest falls from the tree, in which case the mother may abandon her young if their body temperature is not correct. Many such baby squirrels have been rescued and fostered by a professional wildlife rehabilitator until they could be safely returned to

1960-408: The former Austro-Hungarian Empire . It was built on the site of a gothic drawbridge and later a Baroque bridge decorated with the statues of four saints in 1896. From the bridge one proceeds through a passage through the palace with keep. On the left is the so-called Black Kitchen, recently restored, where several ovens and a dish-washing basin have been preserved. The keep around which the palace

2016-420: The ground floor to the second, was replaced in the late 19th century with separate spaces on the ground floor and a library and administrative spaces on the second floor. A preliminary plan has been developed for the reconstruction of the chapel. Beyond the palace one proceeds through a courtyard, which was created in the early 19th century by pulling down two 13th-century royal palaces. Luckily, records remain of

2072-638: The jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture and joined the portfolio of historic buildings managed by the National Heritage Institute in Brno. Thanks to the program to protect the architectural heritage of the Ministry of Culture and extraordinary subsidies from the state budget of the city of Brno, the South Moravian Region , and voluntary collections, the worst emergency conditions were stabilized and

2128-430: The late 15th century and was pulled down before the mid-17th century. Squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae ( / s ɪ ˈ j uː r ɪ d eɪ , - d iː / ), a family that includes small or medium-sized rodents . The squirrel family includes tree squirrels , ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs , among others), and flying squirrels . Squirrels are indigenous to

2184-496: The mortise-tenon joint in carpentry. Because squirrels cannot digest cellulose , they must rely on foods rich in protein , carbohydrates , and fats . In temperate regions, early spring is the hardest time of year for squirrels because the nuts they buried are beginning to sprout (and thus are no longer available to eat), while many of the usual food sources are not yet available. During these times, squirrels rely heavily on tree buds. Squirrels, being primarily herbivores , eat

2240-478: The new king, was one of the leading figures of the Gustavian Party , and often visited ex-queen Frederica in her house arrest and worked for prince Gustav to be acknowledged as heir to the throne . She wrote of this issue in her diaries: during a dinner, General Georg Adlersparre told her that Jean Baptiste Bernadotte had asked whether she had any issue, and was interested when he found she had not. She said that

2296-499: The newly created Czechoslovak Republic (which included the territory of Moravia). He received £100,000 from the Czech government. During World War II , the castle was occupied by the Wehrmacht (Germans set up barracks), and during this period area was extensively damaged, including shooting damage to the second floor of the so-called palace. After 1945, a permanent exposition was set up on

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2352-461: The political changes in 1989 the castle continued being neglected. In 1994, Veveří Castle was again opened to the public, but in 1999, it was abruptly closed and allowed to fall into a state of disrepair during lengthy "property transfers". After several unsuccessful attempts to rent the castle for commercial use, the castle passed in September 1999 from the management of the Ministry of Education under

2408-463: The property as a debt settlement in 1335. Charles' younger brother, Margrave John Henry , then took a fancy to Veveří Castle. He was responsible for the building of its rear part with two towers and an outer ward. In the central area around the keep, he developed the main palace, which included a large hall and the Chapel of St. Procopius (later of St. Wenceslaus ). The present appearance of

2464-492: The reflex of a Latin word sciurus , which was taken from the Ancient Greek word σκίουρος ( skiouros ; from σκία-ουρος ) 'shadow-tailed', referring to the long bushy tail which many of its members have. Sciurus is also the name of one of its genuses. The native Old English word for the squirrel, ācweorna , only survived into Middle English (as aquerne ) before being replaced. The Old English word

2520-414: The risk of food loss, also inadvertently aids certain trees, like Cyclobalanopsis , in expanding their range, with forgotten or dislodged nuts sprouting in new locations, influencing forest ecology. Two species of flying squirrel, the particolored flying squirrel and Hainan flying squirrel aid such cacheing by carving grooves into the nuts to fix the nuts tightly between small intersecting twigs, akin to

2576-457: The site. Although never refurbished to pre-war quality, the castle was still open to the public. In the 1950s, the castle was closed to the public and a school of forestry took over, doing additional damage. Starting in 1972, there was a disastrous project to turn the castle into an international conference center, which fortunately was only partly realized and stopped before more damage to the castl'e historical and artistic value could be done. After

2632-478: The throne already had an heir in the deposed King's son. Adlersparre became upset and expressed the opinion of his party that none of the instigators of the coup would accept this as they feared that the boy would take revenge against them when he became King, and that they would go as far as take up the old rumour that the deposed King was, in fact, illegitimate and the son of Queen Sophia Magdalena and Count Adolf Fredrik Munck af Fulkila to prevent this. Between

2688-410: The time after the coup and before the royal family left Sweden, they were held under house arrest. During that period, Queen Charlotte described him in her famous diary as an obedient and dutiful child with a great ability to learn. He was not haughty as his younger sister Princess Sophie , but humble. Rather, he seemed too quiet and too careful for his age. When Princess Sophie asked him why their father

2744-625: The title of Count of Itterburg . He served as an officer to the Habsburgs of Austria , and in 1829, Emperor Francis I created him Prince of Vasa ( German : Prinz von Wasa-Holstein-Gottorp ). During the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829) there was some talk of Gustav becoming its first king, but this never materialized. He was made a Field Marshal-Lieutenant in the Austrian Army in 1836. In 1828, he became engaged to Princess Marianne of

2800-415: The typical rodent pattern, with large incisors (for gnawing) that grow throughout life, and cheek teeth (for grinding) that are set back behind a wide gap, or diastema . The typical dental formula for sciurids is 1.0.1.3 1.0.1.3 . The purposes of squirrels' tails, to benefit the squirrel, include: The hairs from squirrel tails are prized in fly fishing when tying fishing flies . Squirrel hair

2856-510: The wild, although the density of squirrel populations in many places and the constant care required by premature squirrels means that few rehabilitators are willing to spend their time doing this and such animals are routinely euthanized instead. Squirrels mate either once or twice a year and, following a gestation period of three to six weeks, give birth to a number of offspring that varies by species. The young are altricial , being born naked, toothless, and blind. In most species of squirrel,

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2912-651: Was a Protestant at that time, yet he remained loyal to the Catholic Emperor (and later converted to Catholicism). On November 8, 1620, at the Battle of White Mountain , he and his regiment sided with the Imperial Army (i.e. against rebellious Bohemian Estates ). As a reward for its loyalty to the Catholic emperors Tiefenbach family could keep the castle and adjacent manor even after the majority of Bohemian Protestant nobility

2968-505: Was confiscated and expelled into exile. In 1645, the Swedish Army laid siege to Veveří Castle, but their attack was unsuccessful, as the castle was well guarded and the defenders well armed. In 1653, Maria Eva Alžběta of the Sternberg family (Rudolf of Tiefenbach's dowager) inherited the castle. In 1668, Václav Michal of Althan bought the castle and resided there until 1670. At the end of

3024-413: Was no longer King, he told her that it was best not to talk about it. He asked no questions and did not appear to miss his father. After he was told that his father had been deposed, he acted embarrassed towards his mother. However, when she told him that he too had lost his position as heir, he cried and embraced her without a word. The announcement gave him much relief and happiness. In 1816, he assumed

3080-495: Was still a juvenile, so the property was administered by her father. Later, Helena married Prince Gregor Ypsilanti ; she kept a pompous and very expensive court. In 1886, Ypsilanti died in Paris . Widow Helena sold the estate. In 1881, the castle had a new owner, Baron Maurice de Hirsch . During this period, he had extensive repairs and renovations completed, including a new iron water supply, roofs, and telephone connections to Obora and

3136-582: Was the son of King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden and Queen Frederica . His Austrian princely title (from 1829) was actually spelled Wasa . After his birth, he was raised under the supervision of the royal governesses Hedvig Ulrika De la Gardie and Charlotte Stierneld in succession. When he was ten years old, his father was deposed by the Coup of 1809 and the family was forced into exile. The Gustavian party tried to get him accepted as crown prince in 1809 and 1810, but were unsuccessful. Queen Charlotte , wife of

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