Back in the dim history of Žamberk, the place was a mild hill, with a river snaking around, sometimes wild and sometimes calm. Merchant routes were crossing the river, one of them heading for Klodzko to meet the Trstenická Route. And the trade connections that were meeting here gave birth to Žamberk, a township at the feet of the Orlické Hory. Lying at an altitude of 465 m above sea level, the town of 6,200 is considered a gate to the Orlické Hory. The oldest known written document of Žamberk dates back to 1332. The oldest document of a magistrate office is from 1408. During the l5th and l6th centuries, Žamberk was jointly owned by the Lords of Bubno and the Lords of Žampach. Mikuláš of Bubno acquired the whole town in 1575 and his dynasty had ruled over Žamberk until 1809 when the domain was sold to Earl Windischgrätz, but not for long. The mansion and demesne were sold to baronet John Parish as early as 1815. The Parish Family had resided at Žamberk till 1948 and came back in 1990. Mikuláš of Bubno had the original mansion built in 1575, but it did not survive the Thirty-Year War. The mansion's architecture, as we can see it now, emerged from the 1810-15 reconstruction. Let us note the label moulding in the chapel which shows features of the baroque and rococo styles. The defence system had been torn down and replaced with a beautiful English park, a perfect place for rest. It abounds in eye-pleasing scenes, is calm and lovely, with banks dipped in the shadows of tufted trees and tidy paths for the summer, and with maintained cross-country sküng tracks for the winter. You may come across the most suitable time meter for the place-the old sun dial. The mansion is now occupied by a pupil training institution and repairs are in progress. Having left the courtyard through the mighty gate, you will soon find yourself in the Masaryk Square, the town's very centre. Here, the Town Hall, built 1812-15, is the dominant for the eye. The plague post in the middle was erected in expression of gratitude for the plague having avoided the town. Built in 1700, it shows baroque at its height. Žamberk's town museum was founded in 1911 and has a stock of some 10,000 exhibits. It shows Žamberk's history, local celebrities, traditions of arts and crafts. One of the attractive items is Jedlička's Christmas crib with moving figures. There is a Jewish cemetery next to the museum. Founded probably in the early l8th century, it had been the only burial place for Jews of a vast region. New entrance hall and a new sector were added in 1932. It is under reconstruction now and the idea is to establish a Jewish museum here. Cleaving the sky, the St Wenceslas's Church is Žamberk's tallest construction. First mentioned in 1352, the wooden church experienced a reconstruction in 1729-38 during which its present face emerged. Its oldest bell was cast in 1574 and destroyed along with the others during the 1859 fire. Žamberk has a reputation for sports and hiking. Water sports freaks gather annually to go down 15 km along the wild Orlice. There are volley-ball and tennis tournaments each year and hiking events. The nearby trailer and tent campground has 36 wellfurnished four-bed huts. The sports area Pod Černým Lesem comprises tennis courts, a new outdoor swimming-pool with refreshing cold water that lets anyone forget about the summer heat. Why not enjoy a night swim in artificial lighting on Fridays and Saturdays. Or the surprising skinny dipping on Wednesday nights. A visit to the facility with swimming-pool and the 80 m long toboggan is strongly recommended. The Flying Club organises observation flights while horse rides are offered at the nearby Kněžství. Žamberk is rich in accommodation facilities, abundant in calm, natural recreation and inventive in sports and culture. It lives a phase of bloom and travel development.

St Wencesla's Church

The Jewish Cemetery next to Town Museum

Aerial view of the town

The town hall of 1812-1815

Sculptural group of the Nymph and the Centaur, Virgin Mary Post

The swimming area of Pod černým lesem

The château park