Freudenstein

Freudenstein is the German name for the castle in Nové Město nad Metují, a small town in eastern Bohemia near the Polish border, in the Náchod district. The residence overlooks the town's picturesque Renaissance square and has changed hands and architectural styles for more than five centuries, making it one of the more unusual castles in the region.

How to get there?

Nové Město nad Metují sits close to Náchod, roughly a two-hour drive from either Prague or Wrocław. The town has train and bus connections to Hradec Králové and Náchod, which are the easiest hubs to reach it from. The castle itself stands right on the historic town square, so it's an easy walk of a few minutes from the local station.

What will you see?

The castle was founded in 1501 by Jan Černčický of Kácov as a Late Gothic stronghold to protect the newly established town. After a fire destroyed much of the settlement in 1526, the estate passed to the Pernštejn family, who began converting the fortress into a Renaissance residence. The lords of Stubenberg, who owned the estate from 1548 to 1621, continued that transformation, giving the castle the shape of a representative noble seat.

Following the defeat of the Bohemian Estates' uprising in 1620, the property was confiscated and passed through several hands, including Albrecht von Wallenstein and the Trčka family of Lípa. It was Walter Leslie, however, who left the deepest mark: under his ownership, a Baroque reconstruction took place between 1655 and 1661 according to designs by Carlo Lurago, producing the richly decorated second-floor interiors with stucco work and ceiling paintings on classical themes. The Leslie family held the estate until 1802, after which it passed to the Dietrichstein family, who owned it until 1858.

The castle's most striking modern layer comes from the Bartoň family, textile industrialists Josef and Cyril Bartoň of Dobenín. Between 1909 and 1913 they commissioned architect Dušan Jurkovič to carry out a sweeping modernization, blending Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Rondocubism and Functionalism into interiors that remain unique among Czech castles. The property was nationalized in 1948, and since 2008 it has been protected as a national cultural monument.

Visitors today can tour the representative halls, the castle park, and exhibitions dedicated to the Bartoň family and Jurkovič's design work. The interiors are notable for how bold they were for their time — furniture, textiles and architectural details form a coherent, forward-looking whole rarely seen in a historic residence.

When to visit?

The tourist season runs from April to October, when guided tours of the interiors are regularly available. Summer also brings concerts and cultural events held in the halls and castle garden. Outside the season the castle is often closed to individual visitors, so it's worth checking the current schedule before planning a trip.

Frequently asked questions

Where does the German name Freudenstein come from? It's the historical German name for the castle and town, used alongside the Czech name Nové Město nad Metují, especially in older documents and maps from when the region belonged to the Habsburg monarchy.

Is the castle open to visitors? Yes, it offers guided tours of the interiors along with access to the adjoining park. The representative halls can also be rented for receptions, balls, or fashion shows.

What makes this castle stand out among other Czech residences? A rare combination of styles in a single building — Gothic origins, a Renaissance and Baroque core, and an early-20th-century Art Nouveau and Functionalist redesign by Dušan Jurkovič.

How much time should you set aside? The castle tour itself takes about 1 to 1.5 hours, but plan for half a day if you want to also stroll the Renaissance town square and the surrounding park.