Vrchotovy Janovice: Castle, Park and Culture

Vrchotovy Janovice offers several distinct ways to explore cultural history: the castle and park, two exhibitions, the Church of St. Martin and a themed nature trail each have their own appeal. When planning your stay, you can then consider whether you are most interested in guided tours, collections, architecture or the themes covered along a trail. The highlights below offer specific points to help you decide.

Castle and seasonal park opening hours

Vrchotovy Janovice Castle dates back to an original stone castle belonging to the Lords of Janovice and is set in a landscaped park. The castle park covers 16.5 hectares. The history of the building and the expansive parkland therefore stand side by side as two highlights of a visit. Public guided tours of the castle are offered during opening hours, without prior booking. The guided tour is particularly interesting if you prefer to learn about the history as part of a tour.

The castle park has different opening hours depending on the season: from April to October, it is open daily from 08:00 to 19:00, and from November to March, daily from 08:00 to 16:30. Since the hours change with the season, check them before your visit. This lets you plan your visit to the park around the relevant time slot without confusing the park’s opening hours with those of the castle tours.

Two exhibitions, different areas of focus

The exhibition “Society in Bohemia in the 19th Century and Rilke, Kraus and Vrchotovy Janovice” includes hundreds of original objects, including paintings, clothing, furniture and toys. Historical artefacts are presented in a contemporary interior. The variety of objects gives you a broad insight into the exhibition, with art, clothing and everyday items displayed side by side. The title places its focus on Bohemian society in the 19th century and names Rilke, Kraus and Vrchotovy Janovice.

“Czech Bellmaking” takes a different approach. The exhibition is housed in the authentic setting of a former water fortress and presents a significant part of the National Museum’s historic bell collection. The collection comprises more than 150 items. In contrast to the broad themes of the exhibition on 19th-century society, the focus here is on bells and a historical collection. If you would like to compare different cultural history topics, you can choose between a diverse range of objects and a clearly defined collection focus.

Church of St. Martin and nature trail

The Church of St. Martin is of Romanesque origin and dates from the late 12th century. Five red marble tombstones are built into the church on either side of the presbytery. The presbytery is the choir area of the church; the information that the tombstones are arranged on both sides indicates their location. This building therefore combines an early architectural style with a specific stone detail. The church can offer you a different cultural-historical perspective from the exhibitions and their collections.

The “In the Footsteps of Sidonie Nádherná” nature trail connects Vrchotovy Janovice with nearby Olbramovice. It has seven stops and is approximately 8.3 kilometres long. The information boards cover the family of the castle’s last noble owner, Baroness Sidonie Nádherná z Borutína (1885–1950), her distinguished friends from European cultural life, the history of the region and natural attractions. Biography, cultural history, regional history and nature topics thus come together along the same trail. Its approximate length and number of stops give you specific details for planning; by comparison, a visit to the church or exhibitions focuses on individual architectural and collection-related topics.

Discover more destinations: Stranný, Křivsoudov, Kladruby U Vlašimi, Lešany, Krivacek, Teplysovice, Tichonice, Václavice

For the wider travel overview: Okres Benešov.