Nový Bydžov combines a distinctive historic urban layout with collections, a Jewish cemetery and buildings from different periods. If you are considering a stay, you can focus on urban planning, museum collections or architecture. These themes provide a concrete cultural context for choosing Nový Bydžov.
The City’s Layout as a Guiding Theme
The protected historic centre of Nový Bydžov was laid out as an almost regular square, one of the oldest urban planning concepts in Bohemia. In the town plan, the main streets form a right-angled cross, with its axes pointing in the four cardinal directions. Together, these features offer two distinct aspects of the city’s layout: the design of the historic centre and the orientation of the main streets. For travellers interested in urban planning, this is a distinct way to explore the city, alongside viewing individual buildings.
Two Collections, Different Perspectives
The Stuchlíkovi Toy Museum has thousands of exhibits; its collection spans the pre-war period through to the 1980s. The historical exhibition at the Municipal Museum has a different focus: it includes stoneware, porcelain, glass, jewellery and other works of art. These include Baroque paintings by Petr Brandl, among them “The Crucified” and “Our Lady of Sorrows” from 1733. Founded in 1888, the Municipal Museum occupies two floors of the Art Nouveau building of the savings bank on Masaryk Square. Thus, the toy museum’s broad time span sits alongside the historical exhibition’s range of materials and specific works of art. Visitors who give particular weight to collections when choosing a destination will find two clearly distinct cultural and historical themes here.
The Old Jewish Cemetery
The Old Jewish Cemetery was established in 1520 in the southern part of Nový Bydžov, beyond the town walls. Covering more than half a hectare, it contains over 1,480 tombstones and is dated to the years 1520 to 1885. Its dates, area and number of tombstones give the site its own historical and spatial dimension. Alongside the museum collections, it offers a distinct focus on the town’s Jewish history.
Buildings from Several Periods
The Gothic Church of St. Lawrence dates from the early 14th century. The Neo-Gothic town hall was built between 1862 and 1865. The municipal Jirásek Theatre is associated with the year 1887; after its completion, it opened in 2003. The sequence spans the medieval church, the 19th-century town hall and the theatre’s later opening. The references to 1887 and the 2003 opening are different dates associated with the theatre. For sightseeing routes in Nový Bydžov, a downloadable overview of attractions along the blue and red routes is available. It complements the historical dates with a route-based perspective and links attractions to the two named routes.
Local Culture and Recent History
Local cultural history also spans different periods. In 2022, a microbrewery was established, resuming beer production in Nový Bydžov after 50 years. The earliest written references to the Merenda date back to 1750. This brings together a long-standing written record and a much more recent restart in production. For choosing what to explore during a stay, this offers another perspective alongside urban planning, collections and architecture: Nový Bydžov can be understood not only through its buildings, but also through its local cultural heritage.
Discover more destinations: Výrava, Kosičky, Běleč Nad Orlicí, Lodín, Radostov, Myštěves, Vrchovnice, Smiřice.
For the broader travel overview: Hradec Králové District.
