Náchod Castle, Castle in Náchod, Czech Republic

Náchod Castle is a castle converted from a Gothic border fortress, standing on a hill above the market square of Náchod in eastern Bohemia. Its pale multi-winged blocks with rows of small windows are topped by a tall central tower with a red dome and lantern, and the base rests on a stone terrace with arched openings.

Hron of Náchod founded a border castle here around 1250 to guard the land route from Prague to Wrocław. The Smiřický family rebuilt it as a Renaissance château between 1554 and 1614, and after 1634 Ottavio Piccolomini had Carlo Lurago add the chapel wing and new fortifications. The Schaumburg-Lippe family held it until 1945, when the state took it over.

The Piccolomini alliance coats of arms of Octavio Piccolomini and Maria Benigna of Saxe-Lauenburg still mark the portals of the buildings they commissioned. The family's portrait gallery largely remains in the castle, and twelve large battle paintings by Pieter Snayers, now in Vienna's Museum of Military History, once decorated its rooms.

The castle stands above Náchod's market square, so the approach climbs the hill from the town centre. The interiors are shown on guided tours, while the courtyards and terraces can be walked on foot; expect uneven paving and stairs.

The castle holds a portrait gallery begun by Ottavio Piccolomini; most of the family portraits remain in the rooms, while a single portrait of Ottavio himself went to the National Gallery in Prague. Twelve large battle paintings he commissioned from Pieter Snayers are now in Vienna's Museum of Military History.