NPÚ will increase admission prices at most monuments at the beginning of the main season

Prague - Most state monuments will increase their entrance fees during the main season, which begins this year on March 28. The increase will be from 20 to 60 crowns, while the entrance fee will remain unchanged at a quarter of the monuments. The National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) justified the price increase due to rising management costs and austerity measures from the Ministry of Culture, which has received 30 million crowns less for operations this year. The discount system established in previous years remains in place, with children under six having free entry and children from six to 17 receiving a 70 percent discount on the entrance fee. This was announced to journalists today by NPÚ director Naďa Goryczková. Visitors can expect newly accessible areas at several monuments this year.

A hundred monuments managed by NPÚ will open to the public this year on Green Thursday, March 28, and will remain open every day throughout the Easter holidays. From April 2, the monuments will have a regular visitor regime.

After two years, entrance fees will increase at most monuments, averaging six percent. At half of the monuments, NPÚ has decided to raise the entrance fee for adults on basic tours by 20 crowns, and by 40 crowns at 15 sites. At three sites, adult visitors will pay 60 crowns more than last year, for example at the castle in Český Krumlov and in Lednice. At a quarter of the monuments, the entrance fee remains unchanged.

"This year, the National Heritage Institute's operational contribution is 30 million crowns lower. There is also inflation, services are becoming more expensive, and the operation of our castle complexes is increasingly demanding," Goryczková explained the price increase. She anticipates that higher entrance fees will secure tens of millions of crowns in additional funding to cover raised costs. "And we will also pay seasonal guides," said the director. According to her, seasonal guiding will be negatively affected this year by a revision of the labor code that places more obligations on employers. So-called "contract workers" should also be entitled to vacation and bonuses for work on weekends and holidays. However, according to the director, this will not affect the quality of guides or the frequency of tours. In the future, it will be necessary to maintain seasonal guides. "We have a permanent guiding base that operates during the summer months; they are experienced professionals. If we were unable to secure this, then the quality of guiding services would decline. And then visitors would definitely feel that," she added.

New tour routes and areas will open for visitors at the state castle in Litomyšl, which has been under reconstruction since last February. "This year we are completing the first phase funded by European funds in the amount of approximately 250 million crowns. The second phase will be funded from national resources, with an additional 300 million prepared for the overall restoration, primarily of the facades," Goryczková said. From July, the historic kitchen and castle tower will be accessible. The work is expected to be completed in 2027. At the Uherčice castle in the Znojmo region, the restored castle interiors of the eastern wing will become accessible from the end of April; their decoration is among the most valuable elements of the entire complex. At the Velhartice castle in Šumava, a new route will lead visitors into the cellar areas of the so-called Huerta castle wing.

The restored gardens will open at the state castle Lysice in Blanensko, including a technical monument, a rare fig tree with a movable roof. The summer house Bellarie at the state castle and chateau Český Krumlov has also undergone a complete restoration, and a new visitor route will present it from September. The Baroque pharmacy will open to the public at the Zlatá Koruna monastery. The pharmacy originally belonged to the Jesuit order in Jihlava. The Ministry of Culture purchased it from a private owner for 3.8 million crowns for the Zlatá Koruna monastery.

Further new installations will be part of the project "In the footsteps of noble families," which this year will focus on the Habsburgs. NPÚ aims to present how the Habsburgs lived in Bohemia and Moravia from the 18th to the 20th century. The main Habsburg sites will be the castles Konopiště, Ploskovice, and Zákupy. The project will also be accompanied by exhibitions and lectures.

Interest in castles and chateaux increased last year, with 4.2 million visitors, which is about half a million more than the previous year. However, the numbers still do not reach those of 2019, when state castles and chateaux were visited by over five million people. Increased interest was also noted at sites open year-round. During January and February 2024, 17 percent more tourists visited than in the same period last year.