Kynžvart Chateau

The chateau features one of the first publicly accessible museums in Europe! Inside the palace, you can explore a cabinet of curiosities with 4,000 exhibits, including several Egyptian mummies and one of the 10 oldest photographs in the world, which is even inscribed on the UNESCO list!

Kynžvart Chateau a short way from the famous West Bohemian spa town of Mariánské Lázně is a place full of stories. It is situated at the edge of Slavkov Forest and is surrounded by a chateau park full of ornamental trees, gazeboes, and statues laid out among ponds and small brooks.

Among other things, you will find a chateau museum, which is one of Europe’s first publicly accessible museums. You can view historic coins, natural and technical curiosities as well as exotic weapons in this former residence of German Chancellor Metternich. And, finally, you can also view an ancient daguerreotype inscribed on the UNESCO list and an extensive library containing 24 thousand volumes.

Kynžvart Daguerreotype – a rare testament to the evolution of photography listed on UNESCO's registry

The movable national cultural monument, the Kynžvart Daguerreotype, is inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register. This rare image was gifted to Chancellor Metternich by the inventor of this technology, Louis Daguerre, even before the public announcement of his discovery in 1839! Metternich himself made a note of this fact on the back of the photograph.

Traces of Versailles

The gems of the chateau include a sculpture of goddess Diana based on the model from Versailles and a unique golden chateau dining hall. Children can go on a special entertaining tour accompanied by witch Agata, during which they will take on the roles of princes and princesses. The educational trail around Kladská peat pond with barrier-free access invites visitors to go for walks.