Nové Hrady - a town without borders
The town lies on the very border with Austria and is today a "town without borders." It's only two kilometres to the neighbouring country. On arrival, however, it is necessary to climb to an altitude of 541 metres above sea level before the town in the Novohradské hory Mountains, whose history dates back to the 13th century, can be seen.
On the purchase deed from 1279 the owner is signed with the surname "of the castle", and it is evident that the construction of the Gothic castle, which was to serve as a guarding point on the provincial border, was already in the making at this time.
In addition to the castle, chateau, church, convent, Buquoy tomb, forge, tannery, residence, Baroque apothecary, and city gate, there is the ubiquitous undulating natural scenery that creates green swaths of Buquoyan landscape around the city, purposefully landscaped and improved by the noble family.
The branching families of the Rosenbergs and especially the Buquoyas are linked to the towns' history in all its aspects. During the Hussite wars, the castle was captured and burned in 1425. The same happened in 1467 during the siege by Zdeněk of Šternberk. After the extinction of the House of Rožmberk (1611), the Švamberk family inherited their property.
During the Estates' Revolt, the castle was besieged and captured by General Charles Bonaventura Buquoy, who acquired it and the town as compensation for his war services. Afterwards, extensive repairs began, which transformed the castle into its present form. However, it was no longer used for residential purposes and was converted into the seat of the Count's forestry administration, official apartments and the Buquoy archives. The building of the former Buquois Residence forms the eastern side of the square. By combining them and transforming them into a whole complex, the so-called City Palace was created in 1634-1635. All this was done on the instructions of Countess Maria Magdalena Buquoy, née di Biglia, who, on her arrival in Nové Hrady in 1626, refused to occupy the already unsuitable castle.
The Residence was a complex of buildings of irregular plan around two inner courtyards. There were stables, woodsheds, carriage sheds, as well as servants' quarters and officials' offices.
The Buquoyas resided in the residence until the early 19th century, when they moved to a newly built castle. The residence was luxuriously furnished in those days. After 1945 it was used by a forestry company, but today the building has been completely renovated and serves visitors as a wellness hotel and restaurant.
The castle, standing on a promontory with a massive moat, has been administered by the National Heritage Institute since 2000. Due to its good acoustics, the courtyard is used for concerts and open-air theatre performances in the summer months. In the castle exposition you can find a collection of unique black glass - hyalite.
On the other side of the town, towards the border, there is a castle. It is an Empire-style three-winged two-storey building with single-storey extensions at the side wings, which served the Count Buquoy family for residential purposes between 1806 and 1945. Today, the castle is owned by the Institute of Microbiology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.
Today, the city without borders is documented in a current exhibition at the Nova Hradec Králové Museum, which includes the Iron Curtain Museum standing right on the state border. The exposition of the museum is dedicated to the Border Guard, the Iron Curtain and the stories connected with it.
Accessibility
year-round
Entrance fee
free
Additional information
Royalists and personalities:
- Charles Bonaventura Buquoy (1571-1621) - chamberlain at the Spanish court, arrived with troops in 1618 and received the confiscated property of Peter Švamberk. He took part in the Battle of White Mountain and founded the Czech branch of the Buquoy family.
- Jan Nepomuk Josef Buquoy (1741-1803) - of the whole family, he contributed most to the development of the town and its life, reclaimed the surrounding countryside, and was instrumental in the flowering of the glass industry. Under Nové Hrady by the Stropnice river, he established a natural park and named it after his wife Tereziino údolí (today Terčino). He is buried in the parish church of Sts. Peter and Paul near the square.
Our tip
In 2014-2017, the Zevl mill and its dam at the nearby pond were reconstructed. Today there is also a microbrewery where the local "Zevlák" is brewed.
Do you know that...
...the Buquoy tomb still contains eight coffins with the remains of six members of the Buquoy family and their relatives of the Cappy family? Under the Benes Decrees, the family property was expropriated and the last member of the family, Charles, died in prison in 1952. He was initially freed on appeal but was imprisoned anyway after February 1948. Living descendants occasionally come here from Germany to visit?
