The Janovice Castle was visited by nearly 900 people in the first season

Rýmařov - The Janovice Castle in Rýmařov in the Bruntál region was visited by almost 900 people in its first season after reopening. The site has been operated by the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) since June, which plans a comprehensive reconstruction in the coming years. The costs of the project are around 300 million Czech crowns. This was stated by the institute's spokesperson, Dagmar Šnajdarová.

The castle was taken over by heritage officials and opened to the public on June 8. After the planned restoration, which NPÚ is preparing, a guided tour will be created. "Even in this season, visitors could familiarize themselves with the most significant owners of the castle, the count family of Harrachs, through the exhibition 'The World of the Janovice Harrachs.' A total of 873 visitors came to the castle in its first season under the administration of the National Heritage Institute," Šnajdarová stated.

The dilapidated castle awaits a renovation costing 300 million crowns, after which the monument should become an attractive tourist attraction similar to the castle in Hradec nad Moravicí in the Opava region. However, the state of the castle is dire, and the restoration could take decades. The castle dates back to the 16th century, and its current appearance was acquired in the 19th century. Most of its furnishings were removed after 1945, and they were destroyed or looted. From 1949 to 2002, an archive was located in the castle, but due to the deteriorating condition of the building, the archival documents were moved elsewhere in 1995. The castle then remained empty. A long-standing legal dispute with the descendants of former owners hindered repairs, and only the most necessary repairs for safety were made to the castle. After the property dispute was resolved, the castle was transferred last year to the administration of the Office for Representation of the State in Property Affairs and was taken over by NPÚ in the spring.

Both other castles under the administration of the Moravian-Silesian branch of NPÚ recorded an increase in the number of visitors this season. The Hradec nad Moravicí Castle was visited by 50,010 people by the end of October, nearly 8,000 more than last year. The situation was similar at the castle in Radun, where attendance increased by nearly 4,000 people to this year's total of 21,183 visitors.