Rokytnice V Orlických Horách offers several distinct ways to spend a stay: architectural history on the town square, nature and crafts at the Sýpka Museum, railway history, historic churches and a Jewish cemetery. Nearby, an educational trail about fortifications and a lookout tower add to the range of attractions.
Town Square and Landscape
The town square is surrounded by single-storey arcaded houses built using log construction and a manor complex. Rokytnice’s urban conservation area has been protected since 1 September 2003. The Rokytnice area lies on the edge of the Orlické hory Protected Landscape Area and within the Rokytenka stream’s catchment area. The town’s architectural heritage and these two landscape features are thus found side by side, although they need not describe the same part of the town.
Museums: Nature, Crafts and Railways
The interactive Sýpka Museum is a museum of nature and crafts housed in a former granary. Its aviary features 55 bird species found in the Orlické hory mountains. The birds give the nature theme a specific regional connection; crafts are the museum’s second subject area. Check the current opening hours before your visit.
The Railway Museum is located at the station in a former steam locomotive shed. Its main exhibition is devoted to the Doudleby–Vamberk–Rokytnice railway line. The steam locomotive of class 328.011, nicknamed “Vendulka,” is currently considered the exhibition’s centrepiece. The difference in focus from Sýpka is clear: here, the focus is on a specific railway line and a locomotive, while Sýpka focuses on nature and crafts.
Churches and Cemetery
The Church of the Holy Trinity, also known as the Castle Church, was built in 1603 by Kryštof Mauschwitz and originally served as a Protestant prayer house. The Church of All Saints was built between 1679 and 1684 on the site of a wooden church that burned down in the great town fire of 1661. Their building histories highlight different aspects of the past: the Castle Church’s original Protestant function and the rebuilding of All Saints after the fire.
The Jewish Cemetery in Rokytnice was founded in 1718. The gravestone of the poet Moritz Reich, who lived from 1831 to 1857, has been preserved there. The founding year and the gravestone refer to different points in the cemetery’s history: its establishment and the commemoration of a specific person.
Educational Trail and Views
Nearby, the educational trail about the fortifications includes 14 information boards. They are located along the red-marked route between Panské Pole and Anenský vrch, as well as in the area around the Hanička fortress. The ANNA lookout tower on Anenský vrch offers something different: views in every direction. The tower is freely accessible; check the access conditions before setting off. The educational trail explores the subject through information boards, while the lookout tower offers panoramic views.
Discover more destinations: Lupenice, Lípa Nad Orlicí, Svídnice U Kostelce Nad Orlicí, Uhřínovice, Bystré, Hřibiny-Ledská, Dobruska, Chmelište.
For the broader travel overview: Okres Rychnov Nad Kněžnou.
