The Karlova Koruna Castle will open additional areas on Saturday

Chlumec nad Cidlinou - The Karlova Koruna Castle in Chlumec nad Cidlinou in the Hradec Králové region will open two new visitor circuits this weekend. This was made possible by an extensive reconstruction of the heritage buildings in the castle area costing nearly 100 million crowns. Today's statement was made by curator Lukáš Klečal. Construction work began in the spring of 2020, and the completion was in August this year. According to the curator, the repairs meant a fundamental transformation of the appearance and functioning of the castle area, which is owned by the Kinský dal Borgo family.

Due to preparations for the opening of the new spaces, the castle will be closed from today until Friday. "We are preparing a new ticket office with souvenir sales, which will also include an exhibit on the history of the Kinský family in the 20th century. The opening of the new tour circuits will take place on Saturday, September 16, coinciding with the celebrations of the 300th anniversary of the castle and an Italian food festival," said Klečal.

The entrance fee for the new spaces and the food festival will be a unified price of 50 crowns on Saturday. The tours of the castle itself, which were not affected by the current reconstruction, will be charged according to the applicable price list. In this year's visitor season, which began on April 1, the entrance fee for the castle remained at 150 crowns for adults, 80 crowns for children aged six to 15, and 100 crowns for students and seniors.

The first new circuit, called "Kopytem sem, kopytem tam" (With a hoof here, with a hoof there), will lead through the renovated building of the riding hall, stable, and coach house. In a multimedia presentation, it will showcase the history of horses related to the Kinský family. The second circuit, named "Choďte si Korunou" (Walk through the Crown), is outdoor, guiding visitors through the castle park with the help of an audio guide. Among the recordings, there will also be a narration by Count Kinský. Of the reconstruction costs of 98.2 million crowns excluding VAT, 83.5 million came from European grants.

This year, the castle is commemorating the 300th anniversary of its establishment and its famous architect Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel. An exhibition about his life and work is in the new riding hall spaces. Part of the exhibition is a 1:35 scale model of the Karlova Koruna Castle made using a 3D printer.

The Karlova Koruna Castle by architect Santini and František Maxmilián Kaňka is located in the western part of the town and is among the most significant Baroque buildings in the Czech Republic. It came into the possession of the Kinský family in the early 17th century. It was damaged by a fire in 1943, and five years later, the state nationalized it, reopening it to the public in 1969 after reconstruction. The Kinský family regained ownership of the castle in 1992.