Dvůr Králové nad Labem

In the historically interesting village you can visit the St. Joseph’s House compound, adjacent to a park. The St. Joseph's House compound Is composed of several parts: St. Joseph's House itself, Josef Kamel’s Herb Garden, a park, the Church of St. Anne and the St. Anne social enterprise.

Regular events which are held every year in the castle park and its surroundings include: The St. Anne Garden Festivities and Small Animal Exhibition. The St. Anne Garden Festivities are held on the Saturday before or after the feast of St. Anne in July, while the Small Animal Exhibition, which is organized by ZO ČSCH [Czech Breeders’ Union] Žireč, is held at the end of August.

St. Joseph’s House

It’s designated not only for patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, but also for rehabilitation stays by patients after operations, strokes or heart attacks. A sign of the alliance is located on the St. Joseph’s House building, in its south-west corner -  a lion with a ring in its mouth.

If you’re a passionate cyclo-tourist, you can park your bike in the courtyard of the St. Joseph's House without any worries and take a walk around the entire compound, which is freely accessible to everyone.  If you have a dog on a lead, it’s also welcome in the outdoor areas. After prior agreement, PR workers will be very happy to take you around the facilities.

In St. Joseph’s House there is a small information centre, where you can buy “House” tourist stamps, postcards, badges, products from the ceramic and sewing workshop, products from the Herb Garden, small souvenirs, books and more. In the St. Joseph's House Buffet you can refresh yourself with, coffee, tea or herb syrup, for example, or have a choc-ice or something sweet.

Josef Kamel’s Herb Garden and Park

The compound includes the barrier-free Josef Kamel’s Herb Garden, where you can mainly buy herbs, but also household plants, perennials and last but not least fruit bushes. The herbs are used to make liqueurs and syrups, which you can also buy. If you’re not there to shop, you can sit down or rest in the shade of the trees in the Herb Garden. 

The restoration of the Herb Garden, which was already here at the time of the Jesuits in the 18th century, took place due to its connection with the compound’s historical buildings. It was opened on the 14th of June 2013, and its composition is based on the cultivation of herbs and other crops in the past. It was named Josef Kamel’s Herb Garden (Georgius Josephus Camel), who was an outstanding Jesuit missionary and botanist. It was built as a reminder of the Garden of Eden, and at the same time it brings benefits and provides St. Joseph's House patients with relaxation and room for mental regeneration.

The garden’s composition is founded in a regular historical pattern, using natural materials, such as wooden planks and sand paths; the mulching of the garden beds is carried out using straw or gravel.  In addition to the thematic herb beds (beds of sage, hyssop, mint, thyme, and a biblical garden bed) there are several mixed beds with flowering medical perennials (coneflower, marigold, wormwood etc.). The garden’s area is roughly 1,000 metres square, it’s linked to the historical garden buildings from the 19th century (orangery, greenhouses, cold frame) and it’s adjacent to the naturally landscaped park which is also from the 19th century. In the park you can see a renovated Art Nouveau gazebo with pink arbours and tall rare trees.

If you’re interested, you can buy a basic selection of herbs here such as mint, lemon balm, basil, thyme, oregano, savory etc, but also foreign herbs such as, for example, rosemary, callisia, centella, Bacopa Monnieri, silver plectranthus, santolina, aloe, Aztec sweet herb and others.  They will also advise you on how to maintain green vegetation, prepare proposals for edible or close-to-nature gardens, or provide Halloween or Christmas binding to order.

Church of St. Anne 

The history of the Church of St. Anne dates back to the 17th century, when it was built by the Jesuits.  It is a Baroque building; only the pulpit is Rococo. In the church and St. Joseph’s chapel, which connects it to St. Joseph’s.  House, there are seven altars. On the organ loft there is a world unique object - Baroque chimes from the year 1732, highly evaluated among experts.  Their creator is organ maker Johan Michal Röder. The chimes have recently been renovated, and you can hear their sound at the commencement of the St. Anne festivities, advent concerts or the Night of Churches. The organ, which is also found on the organ loft, is currently being renovated. It is an instrument from the year 1829, and is one of the largest preserved instruments from the regional organ workshop of J.A. Barth. The contents of the church and chapel also include paintings of the fourteen Way of the Cross, a pulpit from the Rococo period, a procession cross and a statue of Immaculata - currently on loan outside the church.

During the tourist season, the church is freely accessible at the same times that the information centre is open, after prior agreement with the guide. Similarly, you can arrange a tour of the church tower.

The immediate surroundings of St. Joseph's House

In the open space in front the House you will find a sundial; in front of the church there is a statue of St. John of Nepomuk; on the terrace behind the church there is a memorial stone in honour of the Jesuits’s reconciliation with Count Špork; in the park there is a beautiful Art Nouveau gazebo and arbour - in the summer it glows with beautiful rose colours.  In the park beside the Elbe there is a now sadly defunct well; the inhabitants of Žireč used to come here for water.

You can find further information at the following links: 

• Žireč