Town celebrities

The writer Josef Škvorecký was born on 27th September, 1924 in Náchod. In his youth he lived with his parents at No. 136 Kamenice Street. As a student of local Grammar School he already wrote stories, novels and poems. He depicted his birthplace in his books: Cowards, Prima Season, Seven-Armed Candlestick, The Human Souls Engineer. In 1994 the café in " U beránka" hotel was named after the main character Danny Smiřický. Creating the new tradition of Prima Season Festival defined especially for students and their creation has been inspired by students´stories from his books full of jazz and swing that cannot be though apart. The author lives in Canada.

The world famous architect Jan Letzel was born in Náchod in 1880. While staying in Japan he designed more than 20 various buildings there. His Hiroshima Dome has survived the A-bomb explosion in 1945. His life recalls the book "Letters from Japan" by Olga Strusková and also the film "Paradise Garden".

Dr. Josef Čížek (1861-1934) was the confirmed mayor of the town and a notable cultural and Sokol activist. He initiated building of the remarkable complex "U Beránka" - hotel and municipal theatre. Josef Bartoň (1838-1920), one of the founders of Náchod's textile industry was also elected the mayor of the town from 1899 till 1905.

Also others made the town famous, e.g. the astronomer Antonín Strnad, Josef František Hurdálek, who became later the bishop of Litoměřice and Stanislav Guth-Jarkovský. At the municipal cemetery are the graves of significant citizens marked on the orientation board.

The writer and dramatist Vratislav Blažek was born on 31st August, 1925 in Náchod, at Plhovská Road. He became famous through his satirical plays The King Dislikes Beef, Too Generous Evening and even now very popular films Ols Men Picking Hops, Lady On the Rail and Playboys. He died in exile in 1973. Academic painter Anna Sládková was born in 1917, in Náchod, Kamenice Street and spent her life there. She died in 1999.

Karel Šafář, painter and graphic artist , the author of many paintings portraying his dear native town Náchod and its surroundings. At the same time he has recorded in his beautiful paintings the vanishing old Náchod with country cottages and ancient quiet corners of the landscape. In 1997 he was awarded the Náchod town prize for his lifelong artictic activities. He died in 1998.

The excellent tenor singer Vilém Přibyl, composers Miroslav Rajchl, Jan Jirásek and recently Jaroslav Celba made Náchod famous.