The chateau in Nové Hrady, a tiny town near Litomyšl, is one of the few typically Rococo heritage buildings in the Czech Republic. The building, constructed in 1774-1777, was designed in the style of French summer residences. It is thus often nicknamed Little Schönbrunn based on the palace in Vienna, or Czech Versailles based on the French royal chateau.
The former granary building in the chateau garden contains the First Czech Cycling Museum, featuring exhibits from the mid 19th century to the present. The ground floor is reserved for velocipedes from more than a century ago, including unique accessories such as original cycling maps, carbide and oil lamps. Do not miss the prizes from the earliest races organized in the Czech Lands.
References:Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.
The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.
These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.