CN Traveller: Czech chateau among world's most spectacular castle hotels

The Herálec Chateau and Spa made it onto Condé Nast Traveler's list of nine "incredible castle hotels around the world."

Other entries on the list included the boutique hotel Schloss Fall (located within the Keila-Joa Manor) in Estonia; the Romantik Hotel in Wartburg, Germany; the Castle in Clarens, South Africa; and The Kentucky Castle in the U.S.

A luxury hotel located in a medieval castle, Chateau Herálec can be reached by D1 motorway from Prague or Vienna, or, for those seeking to make an entrance, by helicopter, according to Condé Nast Traveler.

The article advises guests to try the spa by L’Occitane, which "includes four different types of saunas, a hot tub, and fitness center," and for "extra romance" to choose "a room on ground level for original vaulted arches and classic Czech paintings."

Condé Nast Traveler is a luxury and lifestyle travel magazine published by Condé Nast, an American media company that also prints magazines like the New Yorker and Vanity Fair.

The castle itself is a historical monument, with walls going back to the 13th century. Owned by archbishops until the Protestant wars, it passed on to the Trčkas from Lípa, one of the most powerful clans in the Czech Republic.

Its several owners left their mark on the architectural style, with Jan Nepomuk z Trautmannsdorf redoing it in the new-gothic style, with a tower, battlements, and façade.

During communism, the castle was nationalized, and served as a textile school, then a special education school with dormitories.

Since acquiring the castle in 2004, the private owners completely renovated and reconstructed its premises, turning it into a five-star Boutique Hotel & Spa by L'Occitane.

The chateau is located in the Vysočina region, which is the area with the highest density of UNESCO monuments in the Czech Republic. History-loving guests can visit some of the monuments nearby, such as the historic center of Telč, the Jewish quarter in Třebíč or the pilgrim Church of St. Jan Nepomucký on the Green Mountain in Žďár nad Sázavou.

Data from the National Monument Institute (NPÚ) shows that a total of 3.4 million visitors visited state monuments across the Czech Republic this season. The number represents a 13 percent increase in attendance compared to 2021, and a 26 percent decrease compared to 2019, the year before the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The drop can likely be attributed in a decrease in the number of foreign tourists coming to the Czech Republic, in particular from Russia and Asia, NPÚ notes.

Last but not least, the restaurant HONORIA at Chateau Heralec is also to the public and serves traditional Czech cuisine reinterpreted according to the slow food movement. In summer, the guests can dine in the castle courtyard or directly in the English park.