I visited this WHS in Summer 2019 and used Litomysl as my base for 1 night. This was ideal to enjoy the gorgeous sunset light on the castle but everything seems to close down after 7pm so having a decent dinner proved to be impossible.

The castle's highlight feature and the main reason for this WHS's inscription are the sgraffito designs. These were badly damaged (primarily due to countless fires) and were gradually covered with layers of plaster. As late as the 19th century, there was an increased interest and some of the sgraffito was uncovered in the 1930s, with only around 30 % of the authentic Renaissance sgraffito preserved. Further restoration was carried out in the 1950s. The current appearance of the castle is the result of a complex restoration intervention performed between 1973 and 1989. The sgraffito facades were entirely uncovered and the preserved sections were restored and filled in. The so-called cavetto cornices on the southwest and southeast facades were reconstructed. This feature which appears to be an intact component of the Renaissance building is in fact a steel construction filled with a reinforced concrete shell and decorated with compositions, and the same can be said about part of the remodelling of the castle to house the Museum of Czech Music. Even though the end result is aesthetically pleasing, it gave me the same lack-of-authenticity feeling I had when visiting parts of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, especially since this type of restoration is quite weak and really not long term. The sgraffito (and indeed the whole surface) of the rear part of the castle (close to the bar) has already faded, cracked or fell off completely due to the elements.

Although I enjoyed my visit, I had serious doubts on the site's current OUV even though I'd choose Litomysl over Kromeriz or Lednice-Valtice anytime. The UNESCO WHS plaque can be found on the side of the garden's entrance.