Lomnice nad Popelkou (chateau)

Although the local fortress was built sometime at the end of the 13th century, we learn about it from the sources only in 1417, when the town of Lomnice nad Popelkou was conquered. The original fortress was rebuilt into a chateau between 1566 and 1567 on the initiative of Václav Štěpanický of Valdštejn.

In 1590, not only the castle but also the town was hit by a devastating fire. Even before its outbreak, the stone castle had a circular floor plan, a double wall and a moat, as we learn from one of the sources, describing the state of the castle in 1667. The drawbridge led to the ground floor of the castle, three stairs to the first floor. It was there that there were two halls, an office, a chapel and living rooms. There was a fountain in the middle of the chateau courtyard, from where water flowed into the chateau pond, and even then there was a garden around the chateau.

Beginning in 1630, Lomnice nad Popelkou was owned by Albrecht of Wallenstein, and then, from 1654, Count Jan Morzin. His son Václav then carried out a Baroque reconstruction of the chateau, which began in 1737. It can be said that the form acquired during this reconstruction has been preserved in the Lomnice chateau to this day. The original intention was to build a mirror building with a court of honor in the middle, as was modern in the Baroque period, but the lack of funds did not allow this intention.

In 1776, the walls of the Lomnice chateau welcomed the later Emperor Joseph II, his brother Archduke Maximilian and the famous General Laudon.

In 1796, Lomnice was sold by Rudolf Morzin to Ignác Falge, a merchant from Trutnov. After him, his grandson also acquired the manor and from him then Prince Rohan. At that time, the chateau served as the seat of the authorities and from 1850 for the needs of the district court and the penitentiary.

In 1919, the Živnostenský dům cooperative became the owner of the Lomnice chateau and adjacent lands, which adapted the chateau for social purposes. A retirement home has been established here since the middle of the 20th century, and currently houses a library, a puppet theater and a city information center.

The chateau currently has a three-wing layout with one floor and a Baroque appearance. The original ramparts and moat have not been preserved to this day. The castle courtyard is decorated with a gazebo, which is often used during music events, and on the first floor of the castle there is, among other things, a large hall, where various cultural events take place.

Author: Andrea Štyndlová