State monuments were visited by a record 4.6 million people by October

Lednice Castle

Prague - State castles, chateaus, and other monuments managed by the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) were visited by nearly 4.6 million visitors from January to the end of September this year. That is an increase of 173,000 people compared to the same period last year, which was a record so far. The increase in tourists brought an additional 30 million crowns to the NPÚ budget, said NPÚ spokesperson Jana Tichá today. This will be used for the restoration of the facades of the Mnichovo Hradiště castle, the renewal of Saint Vitus Church in Zahrádka, and the paper wallpapers at Sychrov.
    "Revenues from entrance fees, rentals, and filming account for over 45 percent of the institution's budget, and the money that people bring to castles and chateaus helps cover part of the costs of operation and maintenance of the monuments. We will spend around 30 million crowns, which the successful visitor season brought over the plan, on various repairs and restoration interventions," said NPÚ director Naďa Goryczková.
    Visitor numbers at NPÚ-managed monuments have been growing for several consecutive years. Last year, by the end of September, monuments were visited by 4,413,451 people, which was an increase compared to the previous year and the same period of 150,000 people, or 16.5 percent. This year, by the end of September, 4,586,506 visitors came, which is 173,000 more than in the first nine months of 2014. The significant interest in visiting the monuments this year surprised the castle caretakers given the slow onset of spring and the intense heat in summer.
    The highest visitor interest was recorded, as in previous years, at Lednice Castle, which surpassed the 350,000 visitor mark by 2,000. Český Krumlov Castle and Chateau, which led the visitor statistics in mid-summer, came in second with a difference of 5,000 visitors. Traditionally, the third and fourth most visited sites are Hluboká Castle and Karlštejn Castle; their capacity has been practically filled for years due to the consistently high interest from visitors in tours, said the spokesperson.
    "This year's 'rising star' is the national cultural monument Hospital Kuks, opened after complete restoration this March. While in the years before the renovation, the area attracted between 30,000 and 40,000 visitors per year, this year there were four times that number, placing it among the top ten most visited monuments of NPÚ with nearly 126,000 paying visitors.