The Castle Svijany had been reconstructed by the Svijany brewery using almost 30 million CZK from a grant from the EEA Funds 2009 – 2014. Equally large sum was invested from its own resources. On Saturday, June 25, the castle was opened to the public for the first time.
The opening words coming from the stage belonged to Jan Čenský. The famous Czech actor and presenter, who in the past has created a number of memorable roles of princes, became a guide through the day and his elegance created a special atmosphere on the castle. Soon after the opening ceremony he invited on the stage the director of the Svijany brewery Roman Havlík to ceremonially open a barrel with a new beer Zámecký Máz which was brewed on the occasion of the restoration of the monument.
Everyone had the chance to taste the new beer because it was available in all the stalls with refreshments and in the nearby restaurant also. You can still taste the beer in good Svijany pubs all over the country. But you could witness much more - traditional dances performed by a group Ambrosia, swordplay by Schiavi and time to relax with a musical samples by students from International conservatory. There was even a ribbon-cutting ceremony in which all visitors could involve and take home a piece of ribbon with them. The Castle Svijany was visited by nearly two thousand visitors during the day. They were attracted by discounted admission, but also by the opportunity to see how the castle looked like after the reconstruction. Some of them became speechless when they arrived on the courtyard. A place, that was a ruin until recently, is now a monument repaired with taste and feeling, from which a piece of our history breathes.
If you are going to visit us, you bet that you will be coming back over and over again. For instance the archaeological exhibition with the treasure from Svijany shows how burying looked like in the history. And the possibility to touch a replica of prehistoric rattle or relaxation in castle garden with children playing in archaeological sandbox will make you visit us once more.