About New Castle
Nový hrad (New Castle) is located on the Svitava river, near Olomoučany village, in the south-eastern part of the Czech Republic. The origin of the castle is not quite clear and there are several theories about its beginning. Most probably it is connected with the nearby Old Castle, which was located just 200 meters far and which was destroyed during the Thirty Years´ War. It is supposed that Nový Hrad originated in 13-14 Century. Its purpose was to protect a nearby trade route and earnings from the local iron ore mining and produce.
The first written document proving the existence of the castle comes from 1381. The owner was the Moravian margrave Jošt. After his death, the new owner became Vaněk Čerhohorský of Čeňkovice. However, during the Hussite wars, he supported the Hussites, which raised rage from the king Sigismund of Luxembourg. In 1423, the castle was conquered and plundered by the royal troops, led by Jan Železný. However, the troops lost interest in the castle soon and it fell back into the hands of the Černohorský family, who also owned lands and significant property in the surroundings. In 1493, the castle was renovated by Černohohorský brothers – until today, there is a visible sign above the gate, saying “DOBESS A BENESS Z BOSKOWICZ A CZERNE HORI” (which means Dobeš and Beneš of Bozkovice and Černá hora), year 1493, and three coats of arms with the Boskovice comb, Šternberk star and Landštejn rose.
In 1597, all the males in Černohorský family died out. After the wedding of Kateřina Šemberová with Maxmillian of Liechtenstein, Nový hrad became the property of the Liechtenstein family, who paid 40.000 guldens for Kateřina´s dowry. During the Thirty Years´ War, the castle served as a refuge from the enemy troops and storage for food, valuables, weapons and ammunition. In 1645, the castle was conquered by the Swedish troops – legends say, the guards left the drawbridge down while drinking wine and playing dice, which allowed the enemy troops to approach as close as sixty yards to the castle. During the following attack, which took only half an hour, 36 of the castle´s defenders were killed, while only two Swedish soldiers were injured. The Swedes plundered the castle and set it on fire, during which almost all valuables were destroyed. Five years later, the castle was partly repaired, but the inner core had been destroyed completely and the renovations only involved the outer parts of the castle. From the end of 17th Century, the castle served as an accommodation for local gamekeepers.
The proper renovation started in 1703, when two new kitchens, a drawbridge and ammunition storage were built. A century later, a tall tower in Neo-Gothic style and a new caste building were built. During these Romanticism times, the castle was frequently visited by the local nobility as well as painters who got inspired by its beauty. In 1848, a railway was built in the valley below the castle. The tall tower had to be lowered by several meters for fear it would collapse due to ground shaking when the trains passed by. In 1920´s, the Czechoslovakia state became the owner of the castle, but they did not pay much attention into renovating it – there was a pub till 1950´s. In 1980´s, the local enthusiasts, organized as the Czech Union for Nature Conversation, made the first repairs. Nowadays, the castle is still owned by the Union, who is gradually renovating it. You can visit the castle during its opening hours.
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Model made by our customer (Petr Voráč):
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