The Upper Courtyard
The smallest courtyard consists mainly of a medieval tower. The tower is accessible from this courtyard. The entrance was built during the Renaissance reconstruction of the building during the era of the Smiřický family of Smiřice. The south and east sides of the courtyard are formed by arcaded galleries, which were walled up during Baroque modifications for climatic reasons and replaced with windows. Other spaces are accessible from this "upper courtyard", some of which are open to visitors.
The best-preserved part of the castle complex is the cylindrical tower with a gallery. From the very beginning, it has been the dominant feature of the Náchod complex. Its function is obvious – it is the main defensive element of the castle complex. The tower was originally accessible only from the second floor, but during the Renaissance renovations, an entrance from the courtyard was added. During the Renaissance, the tower was equipped with an arcaded gallery (modified under Ottavio I Piccolomini). Both the gallery and the embrasures located directly below it served for defense. Over the centuries, the use of the tower expanded. The rooms in the tower were used to store weapons and food. At the same time, it was an important communication element between the castle buildings, used by the servants. An interesting fact is that there is a dungeon in the middle of the tower.
The castle's extensive library is located in a area of the castle that are not yet open to the public. The Náchod library was established by the Piccolomini family. In the second half of the 19th century, when the estate was owned by Wilhelm of Schaumburg-Lippe, the Náchod library was merged with the Ratibořice library, which had been located in Náchod since that time. Arnold Weihe-Eimke and Otto Elster were employed at the Náchod castle to manage the library and archives. In addition to managing the extensive collections, they also devoted themselves to the history of Náchod. While the archives were transferred to the archive in Zámrsk after 1945, the library remains in its place and contains around 26,000 volumes. In addition to books, there are also a number of periodicals, records, and maps.
