Rychnov Nad Kneznou: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

Rychnov nad Kněžnou combines impressive architectural history with art, Jewish history, and playful ways of exploring the town. The château, the ancestral seat of the Kolowrat family, is one of the region’s important Baroque monuments. The Church of the Holy Trinity draws attention with its stage-like façade by J. B. Santini.

Culture

The château in Rychnov nad Kněžnou offers guided tours of its historic interiors; the tours are accessible only with a guide. The main rooms of the Orlická Gallery are located on the second floor of Kolowrat Château. The gallery documents Czech visual art from the transition between the 19th and 20th centuries to the present day, focusing on works connected with the Orlické Mountains and the Podorlicko region.

The permanent exhibition “Painters of the Orlické Mountains” also permanently includes the exhibition “Painters in Říčky” from the collections of the Orlická Gallery. Another distinctive building is the late-Renaissance, four-sided bell tower, which dates from 1604.

History

The Toy Museum is located in the rooms of the former town hall on the town square. The exhibition presents toys from 1880 to 1980. Children can try out some of the toys on display themselves, including especially popular marble runs. Next to the Toy Museum, on the first floor of the historic town hall, is the M. D. Rettigová Exhibition.

The original synagogue in Rychnov nad Kněžnou, dating from the 17th century, was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1782. Visits to the synagogue are organized by the Rychnov nad Kněžnou Municipal Information Centre. The Jewish Museum of Podorlicko and the Karel Poláček Memorial document the history of Judaism in the Podorlicko region and introduce the life of the writer Karel Poláček, who was born in Rychnov nad Kněžnou.

The Jewish cemetery in Rychnov nad Kněžnou was established in 1616 together with the memorial hall of the Jewish community. It is located in the “Na Láni” district, from where there is a beautiful view of the Orlické Mountains.

Exploring the Town

“RYCHNOVSKÉ ŠLÁPOTY” is an educational walk through the birthplace of Karel Poláček. The materials can be printed out or collected at the Municipal Information Centre on Staré náměstí.

A playful addition is a game featuring the characters from Karel Poláček’s book “Bylo nás pět”. It leads to interesting places and corners of Rychnov nad Kněžnou. The aim is to find and photograph the characters from the book and complete six simple tasks. The synagogue in Rychnov nad Kněžnou also offers the playful family programme “Za ztracenou Tórou”.

Other Places

Other places in this area: Sediviny, Val U Dobrušky, Nebeská Rybná, Solnice, Bartosovice V Orlickych Horach, Sněžné, Trnov and Opočno.

To the higher-level travel overview: Okres Rychnov Nad Kněžnou.