State castles and chateaus were visited by 4.6 million people by the end of September

Prague - Monuments managed by the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) attracted more than 4.6 million visitors from January to the end of September. NPÚ representatives told journalists today. The strongest month was August, when over 1.2 million people visited the monuments. Last year, July was the most popular summer month. By the end of October last year, state monuments had been seen by 5.3 million people, and a total of 5.5 million interested visitors were recorded for the entire last year. The main season this year is nearing its end, with dozens of castles and chateaus opening their gates for the Advent program. The NPÚ's revenues increased by 7.7 percent compared to last year to 543 million crowns.

A similar number of visitors as last year was recorded by NPÚ in the previous two years. According to earlier statements from the institute's management, this could mean that the number of visitors compared to previous years is no longer increasing and that the monuments have reached their capacity. This is especially true for the most popular sites, where the NPÚ even wants to regulate attendance so that overcrowding does not harm the monuments. Starting this year, the NPÚ increased admission prices by about ten percent at some monuments due to visitor number regulation.

Despite the fact that this year's attendance is lower than in approximately the same period last year, NPÚ revenues are increasing. From the beginning of the year to the end of September, own revenues amounted to 543 million crowns, representing a 7.7 percent increase compared to the same period in 2018. The money was used for monument repairs, restoration of furnishings, and removal of damage in parks and gardens caused by long-term drought and pests. A portion of the funds went to cover costs associated with rising energy prices and improving services for visitors, according to the NPÚ.

The most visited site of this year's main season is the Lednice chateau, which was visited by nearly 350,000 people by the end of September. The second place belongs to the Český Krumlov chateau, which nearly 330,000 visitors experienced. The trio of the most visited monuments is traditionally completed by Hluboká chateau, with attendance exceeding 250,000 people.

"We have behind us another successful season, we are maintaining visitors' interest in our monuments while also increasing our own revenues, which allow us to restore monuments and improve the quality of services. We are also successfully regulating attendance at the busiest monuments while making the less known ones more visible, which we want to focus on in the coming years," said NPÚ director Naďa Goryczková today.

According to her, the metaphorical "jumper of the year" was the Švihov chateau, which improved by 11,500 visitors compared to last year. The Vranov nad Dyjí chateau also recorded a significant increase, with nearly 9,000 more people visiting than in 2018. The Hradec nad Moravicí chateau attracted 6,500 more interested visitors than the previous year.

In June, the NPÚ took over the management of the Janovice chateau near Rýmařov. After renovation, a tour route will be established here, but this year interested parties could already visit the site and view an exhibition about its most significant owners. With the beginning of the season, the Prague Invalidovna began its regular visitor operations. This year, three projects were launched thanks to a contribution from the Integrated Regional Operational Program (IROP), which will see the Selský dvůr U Matoušů in Plzeň and the Vimperk and Uherčice chateaus renovated.

In mid-November, an Advent program will begin at dozens of monuments, offering Christmas tours, markets and fairs, musical concerts, theatrical performances, and thematic exhibitions. Visitors can visit NPÚ monuments even on Christmas Eve; Bouzov castle and the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Most will be open, and there will be a midnight mass in the castle chapel in Bečov. The program can be found at www.npu.cz.

Table: The ten most visited monuments under the management of NPÚ until the end of the main season in 2018 and 2019

Rank	Monument	Attendance January to September 2019	Attendance January to October 2018
1.	Lednice	348,000	384,000 (2.)
2.	Český Krumlov	327,000	409,000 (1.)
3.	Hluboká	255,000	275,000 (3.)
4.	Karlštejn	184,000	212,000 (4.)
5.	Kroměříž	165,000	177,000 (5.)
6.	Valtice	153,000	159,000 (6.)
7.	Konopiště	131,000	156,000 (7.)
8.	Trosky	110,000	109,000 (8.)
9.	Bouzov	100,000	108,000 (9.)
10.	Buchlovice	94,000	102,000 (10.)