Zámek Kostelec nad Černými lesy hosts conferences, corporate events, balls and weddings for up to 300 guests in its Great Knights' Hall. Nearly 200 beds are available on the castle grounds, and the kitchen caters on site. The castle stands on the main square of Kostelec nad Černými lesy, within driving distance of Prague, and serves as the headquarters of the forest enterprise of the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague.
Seminars and company events
The castle lists five event spaces. The Great Knights' Hall, Velký rytířský sál, is the largest and holds up to 300 guests. Sál Smiřických covers 249 m² and holds 60. Stříbrnice, the castle's vaulted catacombs, holds 50. The Akademické salonky hold 20, and the Ředitelský salonek, in the castle tower, holds 10. The site states that an event of up to 300 participants can be arranged.
Presentation and sound equipment is available, adapted to the needs of each event. For an event with lodging, the castle can house up to 180 people. It also organizes side programs: a night tour of the castle with wine tasting, a picnic trip to the arboretum, fishing on the university ponds and a visit to a brewery. A congress package and an accommodation package are listed among the offers.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings are held in the Chapel of St. Adalbert, a Gothic and Renaissance chapel connected to the castle by a covered bridge with three arcades. It has 120 seats and room for up to 100 standing guests. The chapel is deconsecrated, so the couple chooses a church or civil ceremony. It has a sound system and an organ. Ceremonies can also take place on the castle ramparts or on the terrace.
The castle can arrange a wedding feast or a buffet from its kitchen with professional service, and it can arrange a photographer, floral decoration and music. Guests can stay in castle rooms and the dependances.
Rooms and capacities
Velký rytířský sál: 300. Sál Smiřických: 60, in 249 m². Stříbrnice: 50. Akademické salonky: 20. Ředitelský salonek: 10. The chapel seats 120 and holds 100 standing. The castle also mentions the Council Room of the Czech Estates among its representative spaces.
Accommodation
The castle states a capacity of nearly 200 beds in several buildings: castle apartments, a dormitory in the outer ward, the Savoy dependance named after Marie Terezie, Princess of Savoy, the Formanka dependance, and three cottages named Komorce, Radlice and Švýcar, the last beside a pond. The site describes three standards, from stylish castle apartments to dormitory-type rooms. Room types listed include the Rector's apartment, a double apartment with an extra bed of 35 m², a triple apartment of 40 m² and a standard double of 35 m².
Catering
The castle kitchen prepares refreshments for meetings, coffee breaks, banquets, buffets and summer grilling on the castle terrace. The site also lists a castle dining room, game dishes and a cooking school.
History and setting
The first castle, called Černý Kostelec, is mentioned in 1348, although the area was settled in the first half of the 13th century. Today the castle is the seat of the university forests, and its grounds include an arboretum. Nearby sights listed on the site include the Lipany battle memorial, the Kouřim open-air museum of folk architecture, a summer villa and the local brewery.
Getting there
The castle is at nám. Smiřických 1 in Kostelec nad Černými lesy, within driving distance of Prague.
