The myth says : Rychnov´s Master Herman gave his daughter “Ofelie” a deer “Hubert” for her birthday. Ofelie decided to ride her deer on an animal – hunt day in the Včelné forest. The deer frightened by the shout started to run away. The nearby working woodmen saw a deer sweeping along with Ofelie. Immediately, they threw a birch trunk into their way to prevent the deer from getting to the rocks. By this act they saved Ofelia and Rychnov has been using this symbol of a deer and virgin since then.
The settlement and the stronghold near the ford of the river Kněžná were the first habitation in the place of Rychnov. The oldest historical source (1258) informs us about the stronghold with large areas of fields and forests. The inhabitants made their living as artisans and tradesmen and also by forestry and agriculture. The most prominent craftsmen were drapers, who were selling their products at middle European markets.
Granting the coat of arms in 1488 elevated Rychnov to the status of the town. Since 1640 the domain has been owned by Kolowrat – Liebstein. They enriched the town with Early Baroque palace and many other monuments including the collection of Czech and European paintings from 16th and 17th century, which are placed in the picture gallery together with paintings from Baroque period.