The story of this place
Rebuilt in Renaissance style from around 1519 by the Pernštejn family, Pardubice Castle is a rare fortified château surrounded by grassy earthen ramparts rather than stone walls, its knights' hall painted with 16th-century murals. The Pernštejns made Pardubice one of Bohemia's finest towns, and its arcaded Renaissance square and 'Green Gate' tower still recall that golden age. The city later became famous for two things: gingerbread, a spiced perník baked here for centuries, and the Velká pardubická, run since 1874 and reckoned among the toughest and most dangerous steeplechases in the world, whose fearsome Taxis Ditch has felled many a horse. The castle now houses the East Bohemian Museum and a gallery.