Sychrov Castle

Sychrov was bought in 1820 by the Rohan family, French nobility who had left during the Revolution and settled in Bohemia, and between 1847 and 1862 they rebuilt it in neo-Gothic to designs by Bernhard Grueber - battlements, pointed windows, a tower - with interiors executed largely in carved oak by the Busek workshop, which is what makes the place unusual: panelling, ceilings, furniture, doors and staircases all in dark carved wood, coherent through the state rooms. The family brought their portrait collection with them, and the gallery here holds the largest set of French aristocratic portraits outside France, several hundred paintings. Antonin Dvorak stayed repeatedly as a guest of the Rohans and composed here; a music festival is held in his name. The park runs to about twenty-five hectares in the English manner with exotic trees.

What you actually see

• Carved oak interiors - panelling, ceilings and furniture through the state rooms.
• A French portrait gallery - the largest such collection outside France.
• A neo-Gothic remodelling - Grueber's work of 1847-1862 over an older house.
• Dvorak's visits - the composer's guest rooms and an annual festival.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Guided tours only, seasonal, with several routes and separate tickets. Closed Mondays. Festival dates change the access. The park is free and open longer.

Nearby

Turnov and the Bohemian Paradise are ten kilometres east.