Státní zámek Valeč

Om museet

The first manorial seat in Valeč was a fortified house and later, in the 15th century, a castle; on its site the Štampach family of Štampach built a Renaissance chateau in 1585. At the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries the lords Kager of Globen gave it its Baroque form and had a magnificent complex built, with a terraced garden, a summer house, a natural theatre and water cascades. The garden was adorned with a gallery of statues from the workshop of Matyáš Bernard Braun, and Valeč counted among the most beautiful Baroque complexes in Central Europe.

At the end of the 18th century the owners became the Korb family of Weidenheim, who converted the original French garden into an English park. In 1890 Count Thurn-Valsassina bought the castle and had it remodelled in the neo-Baroque style. After 1945 the castle was confiscated, its furnishings were dispersed, and the building served as a convalescent home and later as a children's home. In April 1976 it burned down and lost its roofs and most of its interiors, so demolition was considered.

Restoration under the National Heritage Institute has been gradually taking place since the 1990s. The tour is taken without a guide, mainly through Braun Hall and the spaces that still bear the traces of the fire; since 2020 the former smithy has housed a lapidarium with 28 original Braun sculptures, displayed with light and sound scenography. The park is freely accessible all year round, and on Fridays and Saturdays the castle opens for evening tours until 23:00.

Højdepunkter

• ceremonial Braun Hall with restored Baroque decoration
• lapidarium with 28 original statues by Matyáš Bernard Braun
• interiors marked by the fire of 1976
• audiovisual exhibition of Gothic frescoes from Doupov
• evening tours with lanterns on Fridays and Saturdays until 23:00
• Baroque castle park with a theatron and the Church of the Most Holy Trinity

Permanente udstillinger

• Zámek Valeč: příběh zkázy a obnovy – A separate tour of Braun Hall and the interiors marked by the fire of 1976, supplemented by an audiovisual exhibition of Gothic frescoes from Doupov.
• Lapidárium soch Matyáše Bernarda Brauna – In the former castle smithy there are 28 original statues and sculptural groups from the Baroque castle park, presented with light and sound scenography.

Ejer

Národní památkový ústav

Entrépriser & rabatter

The prices apply to the main circuit Valeč Castle: a Story of Ruin and Restoration (a free tour without a guide). Holders of annual free NPÚ tickets and some other cards (e.g. ICOMOS, NPÚ employees) also enter free of charge. Payment is possible by card and in cash. The other circuits open only on set dates.

Tilgængelighed

• Delvis kørestolsvenlig
• Elevator: ingen oplysninger
• Handicaptoilet: ingen oplysninger
• Handicapparkering: ingen oplysninger
• Servicehunde tilladt: ingen oplysninger
• Taktile tilbud: ingen oplysninger
• Rundvisninger på tegnsprog: ingen oplysninger
• Letlæste tilbud: ingen oplysninger
• Synstolkning: ingen oplysninger

According to the website, only the entrance to the castle park is step-free; the castle interiors are not step-free. Pets are not allowed into the castle; in the park they are allowed only on a lead.

Børn og familie

Velegnet til børn og familier

• Familieomvisninger & workshops

The castle offers children's tours and appeals even to the youngest visitors; children under 5 enter free of charge, and children aged 6 to 17 pay CZK 70.

Transport & parkering

Valeč lies at the foot of the Doupov Mountains, 6 km north of motorway D6 (exit Valeč); it is about 90 km from Prague, 40 km from Karlovy Vary and 60 km from Plzeň. Bicycles can be left at the racks in front of the ticket office, and a green tourist marking leads to Valeč.

Service & spisesteder

• Café

In the former laundry in the park there are the information centre, the ticket office and the Prádelna café, with light refreshments and garden seating; the restaurant is in the village.

Arrangementer & udlejning

• Lokaler til leje
• Bryllupper / vielser

The castle offers rental of social spaces, weddings and accommodation on the site.

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