| Náchod | |||
| Town | |||
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| Country | Czechia | ||
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| Region | Hradec Králové | ||
| District | Náchod | ||
| Commune | Náchod | ||
| River | Metuje | ||
| Elevation | 346 m (1,135 ft) | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Area | 33.32 km2 (12.86 sq mi) | ||
| Population | 21,559 (2006-10-02) | ||
| Density | 647 / km2 (1,676 / sq mi) | ||
| First mentioned | 1254 | ||
| Mayor | Jan Birke | ||
| Timezone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 547 01 | ||
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Location in the Czech Republic
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| Wikimedia Commons: Náchod | |||
| Statistics: statnisprava.cz | |||
| Website: www.mestonachod.cz | |||
Náchod (Czech pronunciation: [ˈnaːxot]; is a town in Czechia, in the Hradec Králové Region. Náchod lies in the valley of the river Metuje, in northern parts of the upland Podorlická pahorkatina. The town has a castle, and a brewery which until 2009 was owned by the town itself.
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Náchod was founded in 14th century by knight Hron of Načeradice, who founded a castle on a strategical place, where local trade road reaches the defile called Branka. The first written note dates back to 1254.
Hron from Náchod founded Náchod castle in the mid 13th century. The Náchod castle has a rounded tower and palace, which are typical of the bergfrit/keep type. In 1544 Zikmund Smiricky bought the castle area and rebuilt the castle to the Renaissance style. Then the castle was confiscated and the House of Trcka gained possession of the castle. In 1634 Adam Erdman Trcka was murdered in Cheb and the castle was confiscated again.[1]
In this time Ottavio Piccolomini came to Náchod and started embattle the castle. From 1632 Piccolomini started convert the castle to the baroque style under the direction of C. Lurago and G. Pieroni. After Ottavio’s second marriage with Marie Benigna, they relocated to Vienna where Ottavio died when he fell off a horse in 1656.
In 1639 the castle was damage by the Swedish army. Then the Náchod castle was embattled again. In 1721 a storm damaged the main castle tower and this was an opportunity to start another renovation. In 1751 the granary was built and the French garden was founded over the castle moat. Since the end of the 18th century the castle was an important cultural centre (for example, theatre performances or concerts were there four times a week).
Duchess Wilhelmine of Courland, and of Sagan (Czechised name version: Kateřina Vilemina Zaháňská), this historic person features in the novel Babicka (The Grandmother) by Božena Němcová) inherited the Náchod manor in 1800 from her father Peter von Biron, Duke of Courland, and of Sagan. In 1866, during Austro-Prussian War, the Nachod castle was a military hospital. Presently, we can visit the castle interior. There are interesting collections from Prince Ottavio Piccolomini's time (for example tapestries). Also, there are Gothic cellars or the observation tower to see.[2]
Náchod town has a brewery built in 1872,[3] which sells a range of beers under the Primátor brand name.[4] The town authorities agreed in February 2009 to sell the brewery for €5.3m to Liberec Investment Fund (LIF), the owners of Svijany and Rohozec breweries.[5]
The former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Josef Tošovský was born here, as were the architect Jan Letzel, scientist Petr Skrabanek, the writer Josef Škvorecký and the football player Vratislav Lokvenc.
Náchod is twinned with: