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The history and beauty of the Iron Mountains

The history and beauty of the Iron Mountains

Discover the magic of the Czech monuments and nature in the heart of the Iron Mountains. Become acquainted with the fascinating châteaux and castle where history combines with wonderful natural scenery. Visit the baroque Choltice Château and then set off to the elegant Slatiňany Château that will transport you back to the period of the House of Auersperg. On the second day, you will experience adventure at Lichnice Castle, where the ruin on a rocky peak offers a wonderful view into the surrounding countryside, and at Nasavrky Château, where you will you learn something about Celtic history.

DAY 1: The Choltice Château, the Slatiňany State Château

Are you looking for a trip that will combine history with the nature? The baroque chapel, the Water Sprite Museum and the black theatre in Choltice will enchant you, while Slatiňany will offer you elegant château interiors and an English landscape park. Get ready for a day full of beauty and relaxation!

The Choltice Château

An early baroque château once stood in Choltice from 1680, but little now remains of its former appearance. It was established on the site of an original fortress that had been reconstructed several times. Its greatest trump card is without doubt the fascinatingly decorated Chapel of Saint Romedius or one of the oldest baroque pharmacies in this country. Young visitors in particular will appreciate a visit to the Water Sprite Museum where, amongst other things, they will find out what type of water sprites exist. Specially backlit fairy tales await you in the black theatre. The extensive château park and the game reserve with a number of fishponds, where you can spend hours on walks interrupted by nothing and nobody, are an especial treasure.

The Slatiňany State Château

This cosy aristocratic residence in the foothills of the Iron Mountains was built on the site of an original gothic fortress dating from the 13th century. The château interiors look as they did in the period when the great horse lover, Franz Josef von Auersperg, lived there at the beginning of the twentieth century. You will not only be enchanted by the château premises, but also by the adjacent English landscape park with a large number of tree species and elegant period benches. One point of curiosity is the renewed children’s farm, where the aristocratic children learnt how to take care of animals. The château is a national cultural monument. During the period of the House of Auersperg, the château also included magnificent stables for racehorses, which now constitute part of the National Stud in Kladruby nad Labem.

Tips in the environs

  • The Puppet Culture Museum, Chrudim: the permanent exhibition entitled the Magical World of Puppets will acquaint you with the puppets used by travelling puppeteers, variety puppets or family puppet theatres. The exhibits also include puppets of Spejbl and Hurvínek, the creations of Jiří Trnka, the famous creator of animated films, and puppets made by Josef Váchal.
  • Švýcárna - the Slatiňany Museum of the Kladruber Horse: the interactive museum enables children to sit on the largest stuffed horse in the Czech Republic, to enjoy sitting in a carriage or two view the unique collection of whips, saddles and yokes.

Accommodation tips

  • The U Zámku Guesthouse and Restaurant, Slatiňany
  • The Hastrman Guesthouse, Choltice

Restaurant tips

  • The U Zámku Guesthouse and Restaurant, Slatiňany
  • The Choltice Château Restaurant

DAY 2: Lichnice Castle, Nasavrky Château

You will find two fascinating places full of history in the Iron Mountains. Lichnice Castle, a ruin located on a rocky peak, offers a wonderful view of the Čáslav Basin and a peaceful environment for contemplation. The Nasavrky Château will take you back to the time of the Celts.

Lichnice Castle

The ruins of Lichnice Castle on a rocky peak 480 m above sea level are dominant features of the Iron Mountains. This historical castle, built in the 13th century, can boast a rich history stretching back to the time of mediaeval knights and adventure. Lichnice Castle is an ideal place for those who are looking for peace and inspiration. One of the castle towers is home to the Milada Lookout, which offers an even better perspective of the surrounding countryside.

The Nasavrky Château

The exhibition at the renaissance château in Nasavrky presents the history of the Celts in the Bohemian Basin and in Europe. You will see examples of housing and items of daily use and learn about life, farming and crafts at that time. You can try grinding cereal on a millstone and view Celtic armour. The exhibition also presents iron ore processing, a potter’s kiln, a weaving loom and Celtic graves, “a quartzite head” and archaeological findings from the oppidum in České Lhotice - Hradiště. A large-scale model of the oppidum with a soundscape will enable you to visualise how people lived there 2000 years ago.

Tips in the environs

  • The Berl Lime Factory, Třemošnice: take a trip through time to the world of lime production. Investigate the unique exhibition at the Berl Lime Factory and be enchanted by the history and technology that drove this industrial colossus.
  • The Nasavrky Outdoor Archaeological Museum: the outdoor archaeological museum involves a reconstruction of a Celtic “town” from the early Iron Age. The structures are based on archaeological findings. The arrangement of the structures into homesteads and the composition of the structures also corresponds to the way settlements looked in the early Iron Age.

Accommodation tips

  • The Počátky Guesthouse, Počátky
  • Pod Čápy Apartments, Nasavrky

Restaurant tips

  • Sitting with the Charváts in Podhradí
  • Hotel Šustr, Nasavrky