Castle’s chapel
For centuries, nobody knew that a treasure was hidden in the cellars of Pardubice Castle. It was not until the 20th century that the castle’s manager discovered a huge wooden chest in a small cellar area under the castle’s chapel; the chest is 3½ metres long and 1 metre wide, made of rough planks fastened together with ironwork. The chest has survived to the present day not only thanks to the stable atmospheric conditions in the cellar, but mainly because ever since the era of Vilém of Pernštejn, the chest’s huge size has made it impossible to remove from the cellar. The chest was used to store the Pernštejn family’s most important documents, contracts, gold and other valuables. It was built to hold hundreds of kilograms of gold and silver. The chest can be reached from the castle’s chapel by descending a narrow spiral staircase and walking along underground tunnels, passing through several huge oak doors with massive locks. The chest itself is secured by latches and mechanical locks. Today it is the only surviving item from the castle’s original late Gothic-era interior furnishings and fittings. Restoration work on the chest was completed in 2018.
Capacity is limited to 10 people. The tour must be booked via the form below or by sending an e-mail to rezervace@vcm.cz. The price is 180 CZK (reduced price 90 CZK).
