Castle Of The Queen

HRADEC Králové, which means "castle of the queen" in Czech, was for hundreds of years part of the Habsburg empire, becoming Königgrätz in German.

The city is perhaps best known to historians for giving its name to the 1866 battle that decided the Seven Weeks War.

Prussia's victory over Austria helped lead to a united Germany that excluded Austria - future German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck apparently feared catholic Austria within Germany would provide too much of a counterbalance to protestant Prussia.

These days the city is something of a tourist destination, at least within Czechia and other parts of Central Europe, which is why it has many more restaurants and bars than its population of under 100,0000 would otherwise suggest.

As well as the chess festival - this is the 11th edition - Hradec Králové also hosts other cultural events and has the impressive-looking (at least from the outside) East Bohemian Museum.

The East Bohemian Museum