The Fourth Courtyard
The courtyard of the chateau, which was built in the first Piccolomini reconstructions in the middle of the 17th century, but earlier there were farm or office buildings and also armouries. The most architecturally interesting feature here is the portal over the passage to the next part of the grounds. The portal bears the Piccolomini coat of arms and the Order of the Golden Fleece. The text introduces the personality of Ottavio I. Piccolomini. But there are other places worthy of remembrance.
Originally an old smithy whose history goes back to the older history of the castle. It is probable that it was located here already in the times of the Smiřický family. In the Piccolomini period it was raised by one floor. Later the building was to be used as a rectory and in the last period it housed the forest administration of the Náchod estate. That is why it is still referred to as a forestry building.
Originally referred to as the old office. It is a county hall building with a hall on the ground floor, where there is a magnificent stucco ceiling. This building was also raised one storey in the Piccolomino period. Due to its almost cubic shape, it is nowadays referred to as the Cube.
One of the most important buildings of the complex. Artillery bastion - turion. Buildings of this kind are very rare in Central Europe. It is a security feature from the Piccolomini period, but it may never have served its purpose. The ground floor of the building was used for stables. Later, the purpose of the building was changed and in the 19th century a castle theatre was built on the first floor. Later it was an outbuilding with stables.
A French-style garden first appeared here in the middle of the 18th century. It was slightly modified in the following years. The most significant intervention took place in the second half of the 1940s, when a circular fountain was placed in the centre and a statue of Diana, the goddess of the hunt, was placed at the back.