The Náchod Château

The first preserved references to Náchod Château in the Kladsko Borderlands date back to the mid-13th century when a castle stood on its premises. The castle was built along the provincial trade route near the Czech-Kladsko border and was, therefore, of great strategic importance. Over the centuries its appearance and owners changed. It primarily acquired its present form during the reign of the Smiřický family of Smiřice, one of the richest families in Bohemia in the second half of the 16th century, thanks to whom Náchod Castle became a château. The second family with a great contribution to the appearance of the château was the Piccolomini family, who carried out the last extensive reconstruction on the premises and gave it its present appearance. At the end of the 18th century and in the 19th century, Náchod Château experienced a great cultural flowering thanks to the members of the Kuronský and Schaumburg-Lippe families. It appeared, for example, in the works of the writer Alois Jirásek. In 1945 Náchod Château was confiscated from its last owners with the intention to open it to the public. Today, it is cared for by the National Heritage Institute in Prague. The château grounds includes a French-style garden called Piccolomini Garden, founded in 1751. Since December 2022 the château has been accessible via a walk through the revitalised Château Hill, which connected the centre of Náchod with the château. The Náchod State Château offers visitors two interior tours, special tours for children in the summer and an individual tour ‘From the cellar to the tower’, where visitors can climb the tower, look into the Gothic cellar and see the Renaissance terrace.