The district town of Nachod, located in the Metuje valley in the Nachod highlands, is a political, economic, and cultural center of the popular tourist region between Krkonose and the Orlicke Mountains, as well as an important crossroads of tourist routes.
The history of the town and its castle dates back to the colonization of the Northeastern borderlands in the middle of the 13
th century. Considered to be the founder of Nachod, Hron of the Naceratice family adopted the name Hron of Nachod in 1254. The castle protected the main route from Bohemia to Kladsko and Poland. In the 13
th and 14
th centuries the town and castle frequently changed hands among feudal lords, the most important of which include Jan of Luxemburg, Hynek of Dube, and Puta of Castolovice. By the end of the 14
th century, Nachod had been purchased by the lords of Kunstat and Podebrady. The town flourished under the reign of Smiricky of Smirice, which lasted until the year 1620.
After the Battle of the White Mountain, the confiscated domain was purchased by Marie Magdalena Trckova, and later given by the emperor to the Italian nobleman Octavius Piccolomini. Nachod remained in the possession of the Piccolomini family until 1783. A period of national revival took place under the reign of
Duchess Katerina Vilemina Zahanska. In 1842 Nachod was purchased by the Schaumburg-Lippe family, a line of German nobles, in whose possession the castle remained until 1945. After World War II., construction was concentrated on the outskirts of the town, which connected it to the outlying villages. New buildings were constructed primarily in the Old Town, Plhov, and Pod Brankou quarters.
Of the original town center, only the town square remains. Just one semicircular bastion remains of the ramparts which once encircled the town, having already been destroyed by the year 1827. Located on the north end of the square is the old town
hall, built by C. Lurago between 1657-59. The Baroque character of the town hall was completely changed by reconstruction in 1856, and only the beautiful entrance portal with its carving of the town emblem remains to this day. In the middle of the square stands
the dean's church of St. Lawrence, whose existence is documented from as early as 1310. The church was reconstructed following a fire in 1441. Its present day appearance dates back to reconstruction following a second fire which ravaged the town in 1663. This construction evened the height of the towers, gave each an additional floor, and crowned each with a shingled onion dome. These
towers, known as Adam and Eve, stand about 40 meters high. Of the original church furnishings, those still remaining are the baptismal font created by Ondrej Ptacek in 1463, a Gothic monstrance from 1500, and a Renaissance chalice and paten from 1567.
High above the town on a majestic, rocky hill to the north of the town square, stands the chateau, formerly a Gothic castle, beneath which the town was founded. During the reigns of the Pernstejn and Smiricky families it was rebuilt as a Renaissance chateau. The chateau acquired its present day appearance during the reign of the Piccolomini family in the 17
th and 18
th centuries. Inside, visitors may admire
the exhibits of furniture, weapons, dishware, and tapestries in the chateau's historic collections from the time of the feudal lords.
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