HTML: <p>Castles and chateaus managed by the National Heritage Institute were visited by 5.49 million visitors last year.</p>

Prague - Castles, chateaus, and other heritage sites under state administration were visited by 5.49 million people last year. The revenue from the guided tours was 474 million crowns. This was announced to journalists today by the deputy director of the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ), Rudolf Pohl. He stated that the attendance at the monuments managed by the institute has been around five million people for three consecutive years, and for the last two years, it has hovered around 5.5 million. In 2016, a record number of 5.6 million people visited a hundred state castles, chateaus, and other monuments.

According to NPÚ, the revenue from guided tours increased last year by 34 million crowns compared to 2016. The year-on-year increase in revenue from service sales and rentals amounted to 26.5 million crowns. The total revenue of NPÚ for the year 2017 reached 536 million crowns, compared to 510 million crowns in 2016. NPÚ allocates its revenue for the reconstruction of monuments and improvement of visitor facilities.

Pohl added that last year's most visited monument was the Český Krumlov castle and chateau, which welcomed 466,000 visitors. In second place was Lednice with 417,000 visitors, and Hluboká came third with 295,000 visitors. The first six most popular monuments, which sometimes change places from year to year, essentially maintain the same composition, including Karlštejn, Kroměříž, and Konopiště. "At all these monuments, attendance is increasing year by year," Pohl stated.

He noted that visitor interest is not limited to the most famous sites; according to him, attendance is also growing at places like Vranov nad Dyjí and Milotice Castle. Revenue there has reportedly increased by up to 30 percent. The Litice Castle experienced a dramatic increase, with 8,000 more visitors than the previous year; however, last year's operations were limited due to technical reasons.

Thanks to the opening of the restored Neo-Gothic temple in the castle park, Krásný Dvůr Castle in the Ústí nad Labem region is having a record year. Visitor numbers also increased at Jezeří Castle, with an increase of three thousand visitors to nearly 16,000. Conversely, gardens under Prague Castle report a decline in attendance and revenue. "The reason is the closure of their access due to the implementation of security measures at Prague Castle," the heritage managers responsible for the palace gardens reported.

NPÚ has only been keeping exact visitor statistics for a few years. Nevertheless, according to the institute's leadership, it is possible to describe the attendance in recent years as record-breaking compared to the previous quarter-century. In recent years, attendance has continuously increased, from 4.25 million visitors in 2013 to a record 5.6 million two years ago. NPÚ first exceeded the five million visitor mark in 2015; last year and the year before, the five million mark was surpassed in September.

The gates of hundreds of state heritage sites will open this year on March 30, on Good Friday.

Table: Most visited monuments under the NPÚ administration from 2015 to 2017:

Object	2015	2016	2017
Český Krumlov	401,555	426,691	466,429
Lednice	386,551	410,937	417,856
Hluboká nad Vltavou	273,884	293,673	295,608
Karlštejn	214,325	257,666	228,159
Kroměříž	193,672	209,417	184,836
Konopiště	139,428	148,753	174,080
Sychrov	111,407	126,621	121,511
Valtice	49,159	127,334	116,086
Trosky	106,255	109,722	112,148
Bouzov	105,602	121,534	111,700

source: NPÚ