Hotel U Beránka Hotel building

Welcome to Náchod. Right now, you're facing one of the most beautiful and important buildings in the city. Take a look at this impressive piece of construction that will impress you with its elegance and expansion at first glance. It is Hotel U Beránka, a place where hospitality with high art is bound from the beginning. It is a building that combines two completely different functions, which is quite unusual in our region. Under one roof you will find a hostel for passengers and city theatre, which makes this place the real cultural heart of the city.

Now let's go back a little bit in time to understand how it happened. Imagine this place over a century ago. There was an original inn and a hotel called Letzel. But at the beginning of the twentieth century, it was decided that it was time for something much more ambitious. The construction of this current building began in the year of nine and twelve. The whole project was the work of architects Alois Čensky and Martin Sedlák. The work lasted two years and the building was completely completed in the year nine and fourteen. Just this year, a cafe, a restaurant opened and the theatre operation officially started to work. It was a real leap in the quality of urban life, because Náchod thus gained space that served not only to rest, but also to enrich the people in spirit.

Now pay attention to the architecture itself. The building is built in Art Nouveau style, which you will find especially after its light, smooth and very decorative appearance. Note that the building is not symmetrical. Its breakdown is deliberately asymmetric, which gives it dynamism and modern character, which was very desirable at the time. Look carefully at the facade, the front wall of the house that welcomes you. If you take a closer look at the details, you'll see a rich art decoration. Notice the statues that decorate the facade here and symbolically represent the theatre and music. It's a clear signal to anyone who comes in here, that it's in a house of culture. In addition to these characters, you will also find a city emblem and a very nice detail, which is a relief, that is, an exiting image, representing a lying lamb. It is this detail that gives the building its name and gives it some charm and humanity.

If you admire the exterior look like that, you might be interested in who's been living in these walls. Hotel U Beránka is not just a beautiful box, but it is a place with a rich history visited by people with huge influence on our history. Let's transfer to the year nine hundred and twenty-six. In the presidential suite, which is reserved for the most important guests, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, the first president of our own state, was staying here. Imagine the atmosphere where there were discussions in these rooms about the future of the young republic. But history continued here in much more recent times. Two thousand eleven years ago, Václav Havel took refuge here. But he wasn't alone, he was accompanied by a whole film group, who was shooting a picture here called Leaving. It is fascinating to think that in one building there are traces of two such fundamental personalities of our history, who, while living in other times, have left a deep mark in our understanding of freedom and democracy.

Now I want to take you to one of the interesting things that's hidden inside, in the theater area. Even if you're out now, try to imagine the space of the stage. In the past, a curtain was hung, created by the famous painter Mikoláš Alš. The idea that the heroes of theatrical plays appeared and disappeared behind the screen from such a master gives this place an even greater artistic dimension. It is a beautiful proof that during the construction of the hotel and theatre there was no saving and were looking for the best possible creators of the time.

It is fascinating that even after over a century, the building still fulfils its original function. While many other historical buildings have changed into museums or offices, Hotel U Beránka still offers accommodation to passengers and still lures viewers to its theatre. It is a living monument that breathes history, but at the same time it is fully integrated into the present life of Náchoda. It is protected as a cultural monument, which means that its unique appearance and details will be preserved for future generations.

Looking at this building we realize how powerful the privacy of a hotel guest with the public of the theatre screen is. From presidential visits to film crews, from quiet hotel rooms to applause in the theatre hall. It all forms a single, unique place.

I hope you're interested in this short trip to the history of Hotel U Beránka and that you've noticed all the little details that make the building a real jewel of Art Nouveau architecture. You can now continue your Náchod walk in peace, possibly stop and revisit the details on the facade we talked about. You may be tempted by a visit to a local cafe where you can imagine people sitting here a century ago watching the rhythm of the city. Thank you for your attention and I wish you the rest of the day in our beautiful city. Goodbye.