A short visit to Náchod with its famous chateau protecting the Czech-Polish border: 4 km

• The castle at Náchod was probably founded in the mid-13th century to guard the trade route between Prague and Silesia. The settlement expanded below the castle walls and by the 16th century Náchod was a strategically important and wealthy border town. The Gothic castle was rebuilt into a large Renaissance chateau during the 16th century and then given substantial Baroque additions in the 17th and 18th centuries, when owned by the Piccolomini Italian noble family.
• Ottavio Piccolomini acquired the chateau in 1634 as reward for his involvement of the assassination of the Imperial general Albrecht of Valdštejn and his brother-in-law, Adam Erdman Trčka, in Cheb. Trčka was owner of the chateau at that time. Ironically, Piccolomini later became the leader of the Imperial army in Bohemia, a role previously occupied by Valdštejn.
• The chateau interior can be visited on tours between April and October. The park area which is steeply terraced on the side facing the town, is freely accessible and new paths and steps have improved access. The chateau has a bear moat (the home of Ludvík the bear) and a deer park, which can also be freely visited.
• The approach to the chateau from the main train and bus station crosses the main square, with the striking late Gothic church of St. Lawrence at its center. The overall route if starting at the station is around 4 km, with a 120m climb up to the chateau – there is a choice of paths, including a circuitous route that is stroller-friendly.
• The approach road and main square is lined with various restaurants and cafés. The two hotel-restaurants at the corner of the square (map points 8 and) are popular and serve good food. Close to the station, there is a well-known specialist Italian ice cream shop – Icekram (map point 10) – which is worth seeking out.

Note: click ‘Show on map’ above to go to a full screen version directly on the mapy.cz site. This can be used for online navigation, saved or exported as a GPX file

Directions

• Starting at the train-bus station, take the RED trail in the direction of Náchod Nám., which leads to the main square after 600m
• From the square continue on the RED trail which leads to the bottom of the castle hill. There are various routes up to the chateau (including new steps) but following the RED trail is the easiest (and longest) route
• Once at the chateau area, take the time to explore the park area before returning back to the main square