Valeč Castle, Baroque château in Valeč, Czech Republic.
Valeč Castle stands on the edge of the village of Valeč, near Dalešice. It is a two-storey building with a Baroque appearance from 1712, built on a Renaissance fortress converted in 1534. On the first floor, an original door jamb bears the year 1534 and two coats of arms: the coiled arrow of the Osovský of Doubravice and the crossed branches of the Bítovský of Lichtenburk.
A fortress on this site was first recorded in 1406, when Margrave Jošt released it from manorial tenure; Jan Hovorka of Hartvíkovice is named as owner. Smil Osovský of Doubravice had it rebuilt as a Renaissance castle in 1534, and the lords of Náchod gave it its Baroque form in 1712. From 1945 it served a farm cooperative as a vegetable store and stables.
The castle hosts concerts of the Peter Dvorský International Music Festival, including a 2012 performance by the Rožmberk ensemble and a 2014 evening of Czech songs with mezzo-soprano Jana Wallingerová. Since 2019 a permanent exhibition shows 97 paintings by Oldřich Eichler (1941–2014), joined in 2024 by a display of typewriters from Eduard Hošek's collection.
The castle stands on the edge of Valeč, near Dalešice. It now operates as a hotel with conference rooms, wedding and event spaces, so parts of the building serve guests rather than visitors. The 1973–1989 reconstruction was never completed; the current owner, Bronislav Vala, carried out a full renovation after 2008.
In the first-floor room, the original door jamb bears the year 1534 and two coats of arms: the coiled arrow of the Osovský of Doubravice and the crossed ostrve of the Bítovský of Lichtenburk. The castle also holds a permanent display of 97 paintings by Oldřich Eichler (1941–2014), opened in 2019.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,214 contributors worldwide.