Tour of Nove Hrady

If you are looking for a journey through history, the town of Nové Hrady is the perfect choice for you.

The high concentration of historical monuments provides a comprehensive cross-section of various historical periods and the events that shaped them. In Nové Hrady, however, you don’t just have to look at history; you can also listen to it during guided tours or read about it on the information panels installed throughout the town. The most significant and oldest monument is the Nové Hrady State Castle, whose origins are firmly linked to the beginning of the town’s history. The castle was first mentioned in writing in 1279 as the property of Ojíř of Sviny, which also dates the first written mention of the town itself.

 

Over the following centuries, the castle and the town changed owners several times. After being conquered by General Karel Bonaventura Buquoy in 1619, it passed from the Rožmberk and Švamberk families into the possession of the Buquoy family. The castle, along with many other buildings, fields, forests, and ponds in the Novohradsko region, remained in their possession until 1945. Today, the castle, which is a National Cultural Monument, is managed by the National Heritage Institute.

 

In Nové Hrady, you can also admire the Empire-style chateau with its extensive park or visit the Buquoy family tomb, the monastery with the Church of St. Peter and Paul, a historic and still functional blacksmith shop, the Novohradská Koželužna Gallery, the Novohradské Museum including the Iron Curtain Open-Air Museum, and, of course, the Terčino údolí National Nature Reserve.

 

In short, there is so much to see and visit in Nové Hrady and its immediate surroundings that one day might not be enough. Fortunately, the town offers a relatively large and high-quality accommodation capacity, dominated by the Wellness Hotel Rezidence (originally the Buquoy Palace). In addition to the Rezidence, there are many cozy guesthouses providing excellent facilities for their guests. From here, visitors can easily set off on day trips to the Novohradské Mountains, nearby Austria with the towns of Weitra or Gmünd, or the also close Třeboňsko Protected Landscape Area.