Nove Hrady u Skutce

Nove Hrady was built between 1774 and 1777 for Jean-Antoine Harbuval de Chamare, of a French family settled in Bohemia, in a late rococo and early classicist manner, and it was laid out as a French ensemble: a low white house on a terrace, a cour d'honneur, an axial approach and a formal garden with parterres and hedged compartments falling away behind. That French character is why it acquired the local nickname of the small Czech Versailles, which is generous but conveys the intention. It fell into severe decay in the twentieth century - by the 1990s it was near collapse - and was bought privately in 1997 and restored over two decades by the owners, who run it with a bicycle museum, a museum of curiosities and a cafe alongside the historic rooms. The garden has been replanted to the old plan.

What you actually see

• A French rococo ensemble - white house, cour d'honneur and axial approach.
• A replanted formal garden - parterres and hedged compartments on the old plan.
• A private restoration - bought near-derelict in 1997 and rebuilt over two decades.
• Museums alongside - bicycles and curiosities in the outbuildings.

When to go

May to September. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Privately run, so opening follows the owners' schedule and is seasonal. The Versailles comparison is a local one. The added museums are eclectic. Public transport is poor.

Nearby

Skutec is eight kilometres away; Toulovcovy mastale are south.