They had been building the picture gallery for 300 years. The leading representatives of the family supported the revival eff orts of the Czech nation in the 19th century, and they also took a signifi cant role in founding the National Museum in Prague in 1818.
Why visit
The original chateau at the foothills of the Orlické Mountains was rebuilt several times by the Sternbergs, who have been its owners from the end of the 17th century up to today, except for the German occupation and the socialist disruption. They gathered extraordinary collections of paintings with originals by outstanding European painters, such as Karel Škréta, Lucas van Valckenborg and J. H. Schonfeld and a series of portraits of Czech kings. The Tapestry Room and the Smoking Lounge are decorated with the most precious paintings.