East

Hronov – the town took its name after his founder, a knight Hron from the Načeratic family. After 1241, he built a fort in a newly acquired territory along the Metuje riverbank. On a left, opposite bank he built a square of the future market town. Because the town had a position at the regional “amber” way going from Prag to Kladské pomezí and further to the Baltic sea, it had a very unsettled history. Even battles of the Hussite time did not pass it by, 200 years later; Swedish soldiers burned it down almost whole. At the 1866 Austro-Prussian war, there was a Prussian generality’s site, which conducted military operations in Branka near Náchod and Hradec Králové. Still in the half of the 19th century, the Hronov region was a poor one. Farming was not sufficient to feed people, so most of them employed themselves in home weaving to improve their status. An industrial boom began after 1875, when the railway from Choceň to Broumov was put into service. Traditionally, Hronov is connected with the writer Alois Jirásek, who was born here on 23rd August 1851 and by his request, he was buried in the Hronov cemetery. Czech painter Josef Čapek and his sister Helena Čapková were born in Hronov as well and lived together with their youngest brother Karel with their grandma and grandpa in a mill. A writer Egon Hostovský and folk poetess Františka Semeráková, born Jirásková, were born here as well. In 1930, the Jirásek`s theatre was built according a Jindřich Freiwald`s design. Here, in the early August, the annual international amateur theatricals festival takes place. Places of interest: an all Saints` church (originally gothic, mentioned in 1359, rebuilt in a Baroque style in 1713 – 17); next to the church, there is a late Renaissance bell tower from 1610 with a wooden machicolation. In an old churchyard, there are graves of some characters from Jirásek`s chronicle U nás (In our town) – Justynka (Marie Knahlová), priest Josef Regner`s father, and the Čapek brothers` grandpa Karel Novotný. Jirásek`s theatre – since 1930, it is a site of theatrical festivals. In the second floor, there is a town museum exposition. Jirásek`s native house in a street bellow church – behind the house there is an Alois Jirásek`s monument, made by sculptor Josef Malejovský.

Malá Čermná – A frontier crossing to Poland for pedestrians and cyclists in the direction of Kudowa Zdrój (spa), Czermna (charnel-house), Jakubowice, Pstražna (open-air museum), tor table mountain (830 m), views, natural reserves, Błedne Skaly rock town.

Machov – A village in the Police upland, mentioned in 1354 for the first time. A Benedictine Sigismund Bouška - poet, novelist, translator, literary and art critic and one of the founders of Katolická moderna (Catholic modernism) worked here in the years 1892 – 1942. In his days, there was a lively cultural life in the village. Places of interest: a Baroque 1675 church, an 1870 presbytery, a 1761 Marian pillar, timbered houses, a 1799 blacksmithery. In the town vicinity, there is a moor with a rare flora. There is a possibility of making tourist trips to Broumovské stěny (Broumov cliffs), to rocks with viewing spots - Božanovský Špičák and Koruna, across a Machovská Lhota frontier crossing, it is possible to go to Polish Bor table mountains (Błedne Skaly rock town reserve) and Wielki Szczeliniec (Hejšovina, 919 m).

Náchod – An Industrial, political and cultural centre of the Jirásek`s country in a river Metuje valley. Its population is approx. 22 thousand citizens. The town was founded in the half of the 13th century in the area below a knight Hron`s early Gothic castle on an old merchant route, in the place, where terrain made a natural gate. Through a gate, merchants and craftsmen were bringing prosperity to the town in the peacetime. In the wartime, foreign soldieries brought destruction and poverty to the town. During centuries, owners of the domain were changing. The ones, who influenced the chateau and town appearance the most, were Smiřičtí from Smiřice – under their rule in the 16th century, the castle was rebuilt into a comfortable Renaissance castle and the town experienced its golden age. The castle was rebuilt in a Baroque style in the 17th century, when Náchod became a property of an Italian Piccolomino family. Big, revolutionary changes were brought to a small subjective town with the 19th century. Establishment of its self-government, industry and railway development, population and constructional boom, which continued up to the 20th century, determined today’s town centre appearance. Nowadays, Náchod is a district town with well-kept historic sights and modern architecture, with a textile, rubber and electrical industry, its own brewery and a variety of shops and services. Visitors are attracted by the Náchod chateau, famous for its tapestries, picture exposition in a district gallery and views of the town and its vicinity, and by the 1866 army cemetery at the end of the castle alley (More than 200 soldiers and officers, who died at the battle of Náchod on 27th June 1866, are buried here.). There goes an educational route to the battlefields near Vysokov, Dobenín and Václavice, where numerous tumuli, memorials and simple crosses commemorate a tragedy of Austrian soldieries. In the square, there is St. Vavřinec`s church (originally from 1310, current appearance is from 1658), the baroque 1695 pillar of the Holly Virgin, the Holy Trinity sculptural group from the beginning of the 18th century, the Cavalry sculptural group, the town pillory at the old town hall, the secession town theatre building with the Beránek hotel and an exposition about history of the Náchod region in the district museum in a reconstructed citizen’s house. In the Karlovo square, there is a horseshoe built into a pavement. According the legend, the “Winter king” Friedrich Falcký`s horse lost it when escaping from the Czech kingdom. Markéta Salomena Smiřická, who harboured him in the Náchod castle on 14th November 1629, left the country together with the king on the following day.

Memorial tablets on houses commemorate many town`s significant personalities - J. F. Hurdálek (1747 - 1833, a bishop from Litoměřice, Antonín Strnad (1749 - 1799, astronomer), František Weyr (1820 - 1889, mathematician), Stanislav Souček (1870 - 1935, literary historian), Josef Nemasta (1893 - 1944, poet), Sláva Vorlová (1893 - 1977, music componist), Oldřich Hlavsa (1909, literary graphic designer and typographer), Vratislav Blažek (1925 - 1973, dramatist), Josef Škvorecký (1924, writer and publisher).

In Náchod-Běloves, there is a Czech-Polish frontier crossing.

Dobrošov – A fylite hill (624 m) rising above Náchod, with the Jiásek`s chalet (built according an architect Dušan Jurkovič`s design in 1912 – 1914) and the view tower on its top. The Dobrošov fort from 1937 – 38, is a part of an integrated border fort line, built by the Czech state to protect it against a Hitler`s aggression. The fort with a wide underground corridor system and exposition is administrated by the District museum of Náchod. It is opened daily except Monday from April to October.

Peklo – A romantic valley near a Metuje and Olešenka confluence, between Metuje and Náchod. A stylish restaurant, built out of an original Pekelec mill, according to an architect Dušan Jurkovič in 1912. From here, there are many possibilities of continuing your trip: through an Olešenka valley to the Nový Hrádek (windmills, a 1723 baroque church in the squre) and nearby Frymburk castle ruins. To look around the nearby country, it is possible to to go to Dobrošov, a Koníček hill or the Přibyslav village. Or to go down the Metuje river, through a river valley (rock outcops, flora) to Nové Město nad Metují. Or up the river, through Ostrovy (refreshments) and Staré Město to Náchod.

Nové Město nad Metují – The town, called the Czech Betlehem, is positioned on a rock spit, ran around by the Metuje river on three sides. It is situated in Orlické hory (Eagle mountains) foothills. Italian architects in service of the Pernštejns reconstructed an originally walled town with a 1501 fort, founded by Jan Černčický from Kácov, in renaissance style influenced by late Gothic after the fire of 1526. A unique renaissance square with an arcade, “mazhauses” of old houses (wide entrance or a hall where a craft or trade were practised), decanal church, castle, castle garden, and fortification form an urban conservation area. Places of interest: The renaissance historical town centre with square, fortification from the the town foundation times, the 1591 renaissance town hall, the late gothic Holy Trinity church (1513 – 23), the 1501 Zázvorka tower, the chateau (An evangelical Sturnberg family from Steiermark had a site of owners of the Nové Město domain built in the half of the 16th century. After Valdštejn`s death, a Scottish aristocrat Walter Leslie had the c chateau rebuilt in a baroque style. In the years 1909 – 11, Josef and Cyril Bartoň had the rusty chateau and its garden rebuilt into the current appearance according to the architect Dušan Jurkovič`s project), Bedřich Smetana`s statue in the square, the museum.

Slavoňov – A remarkable wooden St. Jan Křtitel`s church from 1553 is a rare example of a folk wooden architecture. There is a valuable inner baroque native figuration with ornaments. The church is registered in the UNESCO register among the most precious buildings in Europe. A 1555 renaissance brick bell tower with boarded floor serves as a gate into a cemetery with a church.

Rokole – A pilgrimage place with a few sacral buildings. An original Marian chapel above a miraculous fountain was replaced with a brick one in 1859, the Holly Virgin chapel is from 1930. There are seven paintings of agonies of the Holy Virgin, a stony Cavalry, with plastic paintings from 1874. The main pilgrimage takes place after 8th September.

Orlické hory (Eagle mountains) – It covers an area of 204 km2, its altitude ranges from 406 metres ASL by the Bělá river, up to 1115 metres ASL on the top of the Velká Deštná mountain. The Eagle mountains stretch to the Náchod region in a small part. Its largest part covers an area of the Rychnov nad Kněžnou and Ústí nad Orlicí districts. A picturesque mountain range with deep and steep brook and river valleys. Mostly spruce –forested mountains are damaged by emissions in a large scale. Sporadically, there are small areas of a natural forest with a large part of a beech (Bukačka reserve). The main part of the Eagle mountains is part of the Orlické hory natural reserve. Along main peaks of the Eagle mountains, there is a border fort line (1936 – 38) stretching from Morava to Náchod. Many of forts are open to public now. Mountain resorts offer many possibilities of spending free time: Olešnice v Orlických horách (600 – 850 metres ASL, a frontier village, tourist frontier crossing to Poland, winter sports, hiking and cycling, through Vrchmezí, there are approaches to mountain peaks. In vicinity, there are florid meadows with protected flora species). Sedloňov (560 metres ASL, a village in a Zlatý potok (Golden brook) valley, folk timbered houses, the highest tree of the Eagle mountains – a lime with a perimeter of approx. 850 cm), Deštné v Orlických horách (650 – 700 metres ASL, winter sports, ski-slopes, hiking and cycling). Winter sports and crafts museum, frontier crossing to Poland, on Šerlich, near the Masaryk`s chalet, there is an educational route in its vicinity and a camp site), Říčky v Orlických horách ( (750 – 992 metres ASL, winter ski resort,pod Zakletým, "Pěticestí" (five ways) , tourist path crossing, Mezivrší - educational route along peaks of the Eagle mountains), Zdobnice v Orlických horách (605 metres ASL, recreational centre, well-preserved folk timbered houses, ski centre), Rokytnice v Orlických horách (recreational centre of the Eagle mountains, square with historical wooden houses, ski terrains and ski-slopes, Hanička artillery fort), Neratov (635 metres ASL, a pilgrimage place, baroque Ascension of the Virgin church, well preserved folk timbered houses, a memorable maple tree) Bartošovice (580 metres ASL, well preserved timbered native buildings, a baroque St. Mary Magdalene’s church with valuable period equipment, a place of pilgrimage, an educational route through a Divoká Orlice valley in the Zemská brána natural reserve, a frontier crossing), Rychnov nad Kněžnou (tourist and cultural centre, a baroque chateau, with gallery, a District Orlické hory museum exposition, Orlická gallery, Karel Poláček`s monument, a synagogue).

Castles, chateaus and museums of the Orlické hory (Eagle mountains) foothills

Distance between the Potštejn a Litice castle ruins is approx. 10 kilometres and after viewing them, there is a possibility of taking a walk along the Orlice river or across the Chlum hill with a view. To the south, there is a possibility of seeing the Doudleby nad Orlicí, Častolovice, or Opočno chateaus. In Dobruška, F. L. Věk`s birthplace, there is a renaissance town hall with a high spire. Besides seeing the Holy Ghost`s church, there is a possibility of bathing in an in-door swimming pool or a swimming pool. Probably the best known is the Třebechovice pod Orebem Christmas crib museum.