Decin Castle

Decin castle stands on a sandstone rock at the point where the Elbe enters its canyon, a Premyslid stronghold rebuilt many times and finally remodelled in baroque for the Thun-Hohenstein family. The approach is the memorable part: the Dlouha jizda, the Long Ride, is a ramped roadway some two hundred and ninety metres long climbing from the town between high walls cut into the rock, built in the 1670s so carriages could reach the courtyard. Above it lies the Rose Garden, a formal terraced garden of the 1670s with a sala terrena, gloriette and balustrades, restored after decades of neglect, giving a view over the town and the river. The Soviet army occupied the castle from 1968 to 1991 and left it wrecked; restoration has been continuous since. Chopin stayed here in 1835 and wrote a waltz for the family, which the castle mentions.

What you actually see

• The Long Ride - a 290-metre walled ramp cut through rock to the courtyard.
• The Rose Garden - a terraced 1670s garden with sala terrena and gloriette.
• A rock above the Elbe - at the entrance to the river canyon.
• A long restoration - after Soviet military occupation from 1968 to 1991.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Restoration continues and some interiors remain bare or closed. The garden is seasonal. Decin itself is a working industrial and railway town. Several separate tour routes.

Nearby

Bohemian Switzerland begins east; Strekov castle is upstream.