TOURIST DESTINATIONS

The monastery was founded by Prince Ulrich and the hermit Procopius in 1023. It houses an exhibition called “Old-Slavic Sázava”. The tour includes the Baroque Refectory and the Chapter-house with murals dating back to the 14^th century. You can visit the Baroque church dedicated to St. Procopius and see the underground crypt. There are uncovered foundations of the

Holy Cross Church from the 11^th century in the northern monastery garden.

In 1720, Frantisek Adam Trauttmansdorff entrusted the renowned Czech architect F. M. Kanka with the construction of a château corresponding to his social status, that of a prominent member of the aristocracy. The château is a typical seat of a nobleman from the height of the Baroque period, decorated by prominent artists such as M. B. Braun, V. V. Reiner and F. A. Scheffler.

The castle of Konopiště was founded at the end of the 13th century, probably by the bishop Tobias of Benešov. It was built as a Gothic fortress copying the design of French castels.First building alterations were ordered by George of Šternberk at the end of the 15th century, and later by Hodějovští of Hodějov in the 17th century. In the 18th century, Vrtbové of Vrtba converted the castle into a Baroque palace. Francis Ferdinand d’Este, who bought it in 1887, had it rebuilt into a grand emperor’s residence.

Originally there was a fortress in the place where the castle now stands as documented by Heřman Chvalovský of Ledec who used to write from Zruč in the first half of the 14^th century. It is not known if it was him who founded a castle in the place of the fortress.

The Art Nouveau house no. 74 was built by the District Commercial Savings Bank from Benešov u Prahy in 1904 – 1905 according to a project of Marcel Dusil. It houses an exhibition, opened to the general public in 1992, devoted to the history of the town and its surrounding areas, regional landmarks and objects of art as well as artists who lived and worked here. The ethnographic exhibition is of special interest as it presents mainly the folk clothing and textiles, furniture, glass underpaintings, and objects of folk plastic art.

The Museum occupies a historic building called “Coin” located at the lower part of the square in Jílové. Until 1420 the Gothic house was a seat of the mining authority where the royal master of the mine collected taxes from miners – in gold, as well as bought gold for the king.

Since 1996 the premises of the former artillery quarters between Krhanice and Lešany u Týnce nad Sázavou have hosted the exhibition of the Military Technical Museum of the Prague Military History Institute. The collections currently contain more than 350 historic tanks, cannons, motorcycles, armoured military trucks and cars dating from 1890 up to the present, which can be seen in seven halls, under six shelters as well as in the open air.

Týnec nad Sázavou has a very long history. Its name itself indicates that at the place where the Týnec Castle is located these days – on a high cliff above the river – there was a fortified settlement in the ancient times, the so-called Týnec (“enclosure” or “fortification” was “Týn” or “Týnec” in old Czech). There is a probable connection between the settlement and an old trade route leading from southern Bohemia through the town of Sázava and along the Kostelec Castle to Prague.

The construction of Říčany Castle was probably initiated by Ondřej of Všechromy, the founder of the noble family of Říčany. This aristocrat was a devoted adherer to King Přemysl Otakar II.  At first he was appointed the King’s personal valet with the function of serving food and from 1260 he acted as the senior valet.  Such a political position also needed a corresponding representative seat which initiated the construction work on the castle (1260 – 1270), probably built on foundations of an older wooden fortress. Říčany is first mentioned in written records in 1289. Later a village of the same name was established in the area under the castle.