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Dear participants of the Sychrov Highland Games,

Welcome to the Sychrov Highland Games website. The Sychrov Highland Games transforms the stunning castle park at Sychrov, Turnov, into a bustling centre for Scots and Scotland lovers from the whole Czech Republic and beyond.

Just like the kilt, tartan, whisky and bagpipes, the Highland Games are a central pillar of Scottish history and heritage.

For hundreds of years, Scottish warriors tested their strength and fleetness at the Braemar Games, established by King Malcolm III (Canmore) in the 11th century. The king assessed the strength, fleetness and bravery of his warriors, selecting the best for his closest warriors-in-arms. In the Kingdom of Fife, the Ceres Games have been held more or less regularly since 1314, when King Robert the Bruce gave villagers permission to hold the Games to celebrate his victory at the Battle of Bannockburn. However, the Games were not just for the ruling class: individual clan chiefs and local aristocrats held Highland Games, too. In pretty short order, the Games spread to all corners of Scotland.

Over the centuries, the Games became ever more popular in Scotland. More and more contestants competed and crowds of people came to watch. However, the centuries old tradition came to an abrupt end in 1746. The Scots were defeated at Culloden in 1745, which spelt the end of the entire Scottish uprising against English domination, resulting in the 1746 Act of Proscription which banned the wearing of the kilt, the use of tartan, and whole range of other prohibitions which quickly wiped out the ancient Scottish heritage, including the Highland Games. The Act was abolished in 1782, and the Games started to be held again. Their popularity rocketed, demonstrated in 1822 by a royal visit from King George IV.

Today the Highland Games are a world-wide phenomenon, with competitions in the USA, Canada, Australia, Belgium and other countries, as well as in the United Kingdom. The emphasis, however, has changed. The Games are no longer a showground for warriors, but a social event with sporting challenges, live music and dance with participants coming from the local area as well as from far-flung corners of the globe. The 2001 Sychrov Highland Games endeavoured to tap into this ancient tradition and for the first time in Eastern Europe we organised a traditional Games on a similarly wide scale for the general public.