The Church of St John the Baptist

This Gothic church was built on the site of the original, small Romanesque church. It has since been converted and enlarged twice. It only gained its present appearance in the 1890s. The church steeple was built up to its cornice in 1644 and in 1894 its spire raised the height to its present 64 metres.

There are three working bells inside the steeple. The largest bell dates from 1505 and is called St. John and also known as ROUGH or BIG BELL. The next bell, called “Death Bell” is from 1508 and the third, “Čapek” or also “Midday” is from 1540. In addition to the bells, the newer clock works ring every quarter of an hour.

Manuscript dungeon – Discovery of the Dvůr Králové Manuscript

On 16th September 1817 in the tower dungeon, the “Dvůr Králové Manuscript” was found by Václav Hanka, which influenced the atmosphere of the Czech national rebirth. Today the manuscript is kept in the National Museum Library in Prague. The tower dungeon is open to the public in the summer season.

Lapidarium

The town wall behind the Church of St. John the Baptist contains a Gothic semi-circular portal, probably from the infirmary chapel, and an Empirical gravestone from 1811, next to a richly ornate Empirical portal from 1791 and five tombstones.

Tomas Garrigue Masaryk Square

T. G. Masaryk Square was originally called Záboj, later Gottwald Sq. From the grand layout of the square straight streets led to gates in the town walls.

Old Town Hall

The Renaissance building of the Old Town Hall was built in 1572 after a fire in a burgher’s house which stood on the same spot. The original gable faced onto Church St (now Palacký St) and on the square side it had a tower propped up by two supporting columns. In 1790 the town hall burnt down and in 1833 it was given its present appearance, although its façade has undergone some changes.

The façade of the town hall contains a clock with a Latin inscription. In addition to an hour and second hand, the clock used to have an extra hand which divided the day into twenty-four parts. The green dial with the numbers 1 to 24 remains to this day. The Latin inscription says: This house hates wickedness, loves peace, punishes crimes, maintains laws, honours noble hearts.
Today it houses representative halls and an exhibition hall.

Town Savings Bank

One of the dominating features of the square is the Secession Czech Savings Bank building built in 1909 –1910. Its right wing was added later, today’s appearance dates from 1930.

Fountain with statue of Záboj

The fountain with a statue of Záboj is a sculptural monument from 1857. It was sculpted by the locally born sculptors, František and Antonín Wagner. The fountain with the statue of Záboj was uncovered in the square on 29th September 1857 during the celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the discovery of the Dvůr Králové Manuscript. In 1950 it was moved to the edge of the town and in 2005 it was returned to exactly the same spot where it previously stood.

It is an allegorical celebration of the mother tongue and Czechness. Záboj, a character from the Dvůr Králové Manuscript, is wearing an old Slavic folk costume, has a sword in his belt, his right hand resting on a shield and his left pressing a varyto to his chest. He is standing on a rock from which three spouts of water gush, symbolising purity, health and constancy. Beneath the statue, carved into the rock is the name Záboj and below that the words: “They speak to thee in the words of our forefathers” which means that we should respect and nurture the Czech language.

Marian Column

In the centre of the square stands the Marian sculptural group which has the appearance of a richly decorated Rococo pyramid. It dates from 1750–54 by Josef Procházka from z Chrudim. It is an expression of thanks for the salvation of the town from the horrors of the scourge of the plague. On the tip of the pyramid is a statue of the Virgin Mary standing on a globe representing the Earth. This Earth is entwined by a snake with an apple in its mouth. Above the parapet in the centre of the sculpture are the statues of St. Kosmas and St. Damian, St. Laurence and St. Florian. The column is surrounded by six statues - St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Francis Xaverský, St. Norbert, St. Ignatius and St. Jan of Nepomuk.

Town walls

The town was probably fortified in the 13th century. In 1785 the walls were abandoned although they were still in existence around most of the town in 1841. Today the remains of the walls are visible only in a few places (e.g. in Valová Lane and the lane behind the Church of St. John the Baptist)

Šindelářská Tower

Šindelářská Tower is the only surviving tower of the original four town wall towers which guarded the entrances to the town. Its foundations descend about one metre into hard clay. Its name is derived from the street where shingles were made in workshops. Until 1791 the tower was decorated by a small astronomical clock. It is 20 m high and like the tower in Pisa it also leans slightly. There are also some remains of the town wall around the tower. The inside of the tower is unfortunately not open to the public.

Kohoutův Court

The whole complex was originally a squire’s manor which F. A. Berger, an officer of Earl Špork, had built on early Baroque foundations between 1736 and 1738. Kohoutův Dvůr got its name in the mid-19th century when it was converted by the then owner, Alois Kohout. Three buildings remain from the original farmstead. The main building is connected to the grange by the gate house with the Berger’s arms and monogram. The space above the entrance is decorated by a relief of St. Florian. On the gallery is a statue of Mary Immaculate, with St. John the Baptist and John the Evangelist on either side of her. The grange was used in the past as a granary and so had a very important function for the town.

At the present, the town museum is housed in Kohoutův Dvůr. The main building has had a permanent exhibition documenting the history of the town since 1978 and in the newly reconstructed grange there has been a gallery, lecture hall and exhibition hall since 1998. The complex of buildings includes a third building which was originally a stable. The courtyard is dominated by a Baroque stone well.

Log house

Log-built house is probably the oldest house in the town. It used to belong to a lathe man Šmíd, later it was the barracks headquarters, a gendarmerie, a dye house and lastly a wood turnery.

Zoo

In terms of the number of animals it is the largest zoo in the Czech Republic and also the largest breeder of African animals in Europe. It is one of the most beautiful zoos in Europe and the world. It is the only zoo in the Czech Republic to offer a safari, in the summer months (from May to the end of September), when visitors can ride in specially converted safari buses among freely roaming wild animals.
More on their official website.

Other

• Dvůr Králové beer, Tambor
  
  Another reason to come and stay a little longer is our excellent local Dvůr Králové beer, Tambor, which is praised by both normal beer lovers and expert connoisseurs.
  See the brewery website www.pivo-tambor.cz for more details.