Mělník between Castle, Wine and Rivers

Beneath Mělník’s museum building lie historic cellars dating back to the second half of the 14th century. Directly below the castle stretches the St. Ludmila Vineyard – two places where the city’s history and winegrowing meet within a small area.

Culture and History

Mělník Castle stands on the site of an early medieval hillfort. Around the middle of the 12th century, a Romanesque stone castle occupied Mělník’s acropolis. In the second half of the 13th century and during the 14th century, the castle was rebuilt in the Gothic style.

The Gothic observation tower of the Church of St. Peter and Paul was built between 1483 and 1488. After a devastating fire, it received a Baroque onion dome dating from 1681. The tower gallery is 37 metres high and offers views of Mělník Castle, the St. Ludmila Vineyard, the Elbe, the Vltava and the side canal with its lock.

A crypt beneath the presbytery of the Church of St. Peter and Paul houses the Mělník ossuary. It served as an ossuary at least from the 1530s until 1787; bones and skulls are arranged there in the shapes of an anchor, a cross and a heart.

The Pražská brána is the oldest surviving part of Mělník’s medieval fortifications. The tower’s present form dates from 1536. At the Ve Věži Gallery, the Pražská brána presents contemporary art; from the windows of the fifth and highest floor, visitors can look out over the city.

Mělník’s underground system was gradually created in the 13th and 14th centuries in the sandstone and Pläner limestone of Mělník Hill. It extends beneath the entire historic old town. Tours of underground Mělník begin at the Tourist Information Centre at Legionářů 51, 276 01 Mělník. The underground heritage also includes the medieval well, which is approximately 4.5 metres wide and 54 metres deep.

The Mělník Regional Museum presents changing exhibitions on art, travel and topics for children, and has a museum café. The Masaryk Cultural House is a state-protected monument and the headquarters of the registered association Mělnické kulturní centrum – Mekuc, which offers cultural, entertainment and educational programmes for children and adults.

Wine and City Life

Winegrowing has been connected with Mělník and its surroundings since at least the 10th century. The St. Ludmila Vineyard continues to be planted with Burgundy grape varieties. Visitors can tour the interiors of Mělník Castle and its wine cellars; the castle winery continues the local winegrowing tradition.

Mělnické vinobraní takes place annually as a three-day September festival. The programme includes wine tastings, regional gastronomic specialities and a traditional procession of Charles IV through the city.

Other places: Kralupy Nad Vltavou, Cítov, Újezdec, Nosálov, Jeviněves, Čakovičky, Hostín U Vojkovic, Čečelice

Water and Routes

In the surrounding area, directly opposite the viewpoint at the confluence of the Elbe and Vltava, lies the Vraňany–Hořín Navigation Canal. Nearby, its locks, dating from 1905, can be reached from Mělník Castle via a yellow-marked hiking trail and visited as a still-functioning Art Nouveau technical monument.

For the overarching travel overview: Mělník District.