Tour of the town of Nové Hrady
If you want to take an excursion into history, the town of Nové Hrady is the right choice for you. The high concentration of historical sights provides a comprehensive cross-section of the individual historical periods and the events that shaped these periods. In Nové Hrady, however, you don’t just have to look at history; you can also listen to it during tours or read the information panels that have been installed in the city. The most important and oldest sight is Nové Hrady Castle. The construction of the castle coincided with the beginning of the town’s history. The castle is first mentioned in the records in 1279 – as the property of Ojíř of Sviny. The year 1279 is also the first written mention of the town itself.
Over the course of the following centuries, the town and the castle changed owners several times – Rosenbergs and Schwambergs, and in 1619 the town and the castle were conquered by the General Karel Bonaventura Buquoy and became the possession of the Buquoy family. The castle, as well as many other buildings, fields, forests and ponds in the Nové Hrady region, remained in their possession until 1945. Today, the castle, which is a national heritage site, is managed by the National Heritage Institute.
In Nové Hrady you can also admire the Empire chateau with its large chateau park, or visit the tomb of the Buquoy family, the monastery with the church of St. Peter and St. Paul, the historic and still functional smithy, the Nové Hrady Gallery ‘Koželužna’, the Nové Hrady Museum (including the open-air Museum of the Iron Curtain), and, of course, the National Nature Preservation Area of the Theresia Valley.
There is a huge amount to see in Nové Hrady and its immediate surroundings, so one day may not be enough for. The good news is that the city has a large capacity of high-quality accommodation, mainly in the Wellness Hotel Rezidence (originally the Buquoy Palace). In addition to the Hotel Rezidence, there are a number of cosy guest houses that provide quality facilities. Guests can take carefree day trips to the Novohradské Mountains, the towns of Weitra or Gmünd in nearby Austria, or to the Třeboň Protected Landscape Area.
Contacts:
Tourist region: Nové Hrady-Doudleby region
Nové Hrady Cultural and Information Centre
nám. Republiky 46, 373 33 Nové Hrady
Phone: +420 38 386 909
E-mail: infoc@novehrady.cz
Web: www.novehrady.cz
