About

The town of Valeč lies at the foot of the forested Doupov hills. The Parish Church of St. John the Baptist was founded on the square in the mid-13th century and there was a Gothic castle.

Castle was rebuilt in Baroque style by F. Barelli and G. A. Biana Rosso, who decorated the castle chapel and the Holy Trinity Column, also from the workshop of the sculptor M. B. Braun.

The main axis of the castle park goes from the castle around the teatron (garden theatre) to the gate and to the ruins of the Neuhaus. On the lateral axis, a summer residence stands beside a large cascade. Water reservoirs that supplied water to the mouths of fantastic aquatic creatures, from where it flowed into large cascades and other fountains, were built into the hillside.

Braun's workshop added 32 sandstone sculptures to the park in Valeč. The statues portray allegories of human qualities, art and science as well as figures from classical mythology.

After 1945, Valeč served as a children's home until a huge fire broke out in 1976. It was saved from demolition State Heritage Institute saved it and began restoring the grounds. The park and castle is freely accessible all year round, and there is a café in a renovated former laundry.

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