Things to do
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Český Šternberk Castle
High on a narrow ridge above the Sázava river, this castle has belonged to the Sternberg family for most of its history and is still their home. Rooms hold stucco ceilings, engravings from the Thirty Years' War and hunting trophies. Tours are guided only, with a reduced timetable in winter. A riverside car park leaves a steep climb to the gate.
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Konopiště Castle
Archduke Franz Ferdinand made this castle his country seat and lined its corridors with thousands of hunting trophies, along with a large collection of Saint George images. Interiors are shown only on guided tours of about 50 minutes, closed on Mondays and limited to weekends in November. A rose garden and a lake sit in the surrounding deer park, which stays open all year.
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Sázava Monastery
Founded by the hermit Prokop in the 11th century, this riverside monastery kept the Slavonic liturgy alive in Bohemia for decades. An unfinished Gothic church stands open to the sky beside the baroque convent, and its chapter house holds faded medieval wall paintings. The monastery route is closed for building work until spring 2027. The church of St Procopius still opens for parish tours at weekends. Branch-line trains stop in Sázava.
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Vrchotovy Janovice Castle
Moats and an English landscape park surround this château south of Benešov, once the home of Sidonie Nádherná, whose guests included the poet Rainer Maria Rilke and the writer Karl Kraus. A branch of the National Museum now runs its rooms and displays. Interior tours run in the warmer months only. The park, with old trees and open meadows, is free to walk.
