Humprecht

Humprecht was built in 1666-1668 for Humprecht Jan Cernin, who had been imperial ambassador in Constantinople, to designs by Carlo Lurago, and the shape reflects where he had been: a tall narrow oval tower on a hill, with an onion cupola, said to have been inspired by Turkish minarets and tower buildings. It is a summer and hunting house rather than a residence, and its inside is essentially one tall oval room - the dining hall rises through several floors to the vault, and the shape produces an unusual acoustic in which a whisper at one point is audible clearly at another across the space, which the guides demonstrate. Around it run galleries and small rooms. The tower holds a collection on the Cernin family and on the local literary tradition - the region is Cesky raj and Fric and Sramek wrote here. The hill gives a view over the Bohemian Paradise.

Highlights

• An oval tower with an onion cupola - built 1666-1668 after Constantinople models.
• A dining hall through several floors - the tall oval room at the core.
• An acoustic trick - a whisper carrying clearly across the hall, demonstrated on tours.
• A view over Cesky raj - from the hill above Sobotka.

When to go

April to October. Two hours.

Before you go

Guided tours only, seasonal, closed in winter. It is small - two hours covers it. Stairs are steep and narrow. The town below has limited services.

Nearby

Kost castle is west; Jicin and Prachovske skaly are east.

Key facts