Ratibořice Chateau

Originally a summer hunting residence, it was commissioned at the beginning of the eighteenth century by Lorenzo Piccolomini. Its current appearance is the result of extensive Classicist and Empire-style modifications that took place after 1800. The entire complex of the chateau and the adjacent Babička's Valley evokes the atmosphere of Božena Němcová's famous novel. It was right here that the writer found inspiration for her work Babička and the character of the Princess, whose real-life model was Duchess Catherine Wilhelmine of Sagan. Today, the chateau with other objects in the valley is protected as a national cultural monument, as is the Úpa Valley, which is also a national natural monument.