Castle park in Mimoň

Castle Park in Mimoň is a spacious, well-tended landscape park sitting right at the heart of this small town in the Máchův kraj region of northern Bohemia. The castle that gave the park its name is long gone, yet the grounds themselves have survived and remain one of the most visited green spaces in the area.

How did the park come about?

The land now occupied by the park started out as a pheasant preserve, kept for hunting purposes. It wasn't until the 1780s that Count František de Paula Hartig had it thoroughly reworked into a park laid out in the free, naturalistic English landscape style then fashionable among European aristocracy. The Hartig family held the Mimoň estate from 1718 until 1945, and it was under their stewardship that the park took on much of the character it still has today. After an 1806 fire destroyed the castle along with many buildings in town, the Hartigs rebuilt the residence and, in the process, reshaped the park into roughly its present form.

What can visitors actually see there?

Walking the park's paths, you'll come across a monument to the Roman poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus, executed in an Empire-style manner. A more unusual feature is a stone copy of the Géronstère healing spring from the Belgian spa town of Spa: Count Hartig used to take the cure there, and after returning home he had a similar spring built in his own park as a memento of those stays — the copy dates to 1785. At the heart of the grounds lies a pond with an island, which underwent a major reconstruction completed in 2019. The Ploučnice river runs through the park as well, adding to its quiet, intimate feel.

What happened to the castle itself?

The castle building went up in 1570 (preparatory work goes back as far as 1550) under Karel z Biberštejna, as a modest, single-storey Renaissance manor with an irregular floor plan. Between 1601 and 1604, while the estate belonged to Jan Myllner z Mühlhausenu, the building was substantially enlarged — a full storey and a south wing were added. The castle did not survive into the present day, however: in 1985, during the communist era, it was demolished and blown up. The park around it stayed in municipal hands and today is protected as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic.

How do you get into the park?

Access is possible from two points: the Castle Bridge (Zámecký most) and the Post Office Bridge (Poštovní most), both of which make the park easy to reach from different parts of town. Further renovation work is also underway on the grounds — the latest phase is set to bring new walking paths, footbridges, and a café, aimed at making a visit here even more comfortable.

Frequently asked questions

Does the castle in Mimoň still stand? No — the castle building was demolished in 1985. Only the park that once surrounded it remains.

In what style was the park laid out? It was designed as a free, naturalistic English landscape park, typical of the late 18th century.

What does the spring replica in the park commemorate? It marks Count Hartig's stays at the Spa resort in Belgium, where he took the cure at the Géronstère spring.

Is there a pond in the park? Yes, a pond with an island is one of the park's central features; its reconstruction was completed in 2019.

What's the best way to reach the park? Via the Castle Bridge or the Post Office Bridge, both of which lead directly into the park's paths.