House No. 3 is part of the castle grounds and its current appearance was created during the construction of a new chateau for the Dietrichstein family by the Italian architect Antonio della Porta at the end of the 17th century. It was in the castle that Jan Evangelista Purkyně was born in the family of the steward of the estate. The exact date of his birth is not known, the sources mention either 17 or 18 December 1787. Purkyně spent his childhood in Libochovice. The difficult family situation after the sudden death of his father resulted in his early departure to the Piarist grammar school in distant Mikulov, where he studied from the age of ten thanks to financial support of his mother's friends.
The unveiling of the memorial plaque in 1937 was part of a spectacular multi-day celebration that took place in several different places. On the eve of the unveiling of the plaque, the premiere of Ferdinand Strejček's one-act play Purkyně's Feast, rehearsed by the local theatre group "Stage", took place in Libochovice. In Prague that same evening, as part of the ongoing IV International Congress of the History of Science and Technology, a festive meeting was held in the Pantheon of the National Museum, at which the botanist Bohumil Němec spoke about Purkyně's importance. The next morning, the congress participants moved to Libochovice, where they attended the unveiling of the plaque. This ensured an impressive participation of important representatives of Czech and international science, of academic dignitaries and of state officials.
The celebrations also included exhibitions at the Municipal House and the National Museum in Prague. The Albertov, No. 4 building of the Faculty of Medicine was renamed the "Purkyně Institute". The sculptor and medallist Otakar Španiel created a highly valued commemorative medal with the relief of Purkyně's head for the Society of Czechoslovak Medics. In addition to the plaque in Libochovice, a monument was unveiled in Roudnice nad Labem.
The author of the commemorative plaque is the sculptor and medallist Karel Babka, the plaque consists of a text in which the scientific and educational significance of Purkyně is recalled. The text is bordered above and below by a sculpture with a laurel wreath motif. In Libochovice you can also see a monumental memorial to the famous native near the memorial plaque, which was unveiled in 1887 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth. And in the castle you can visit an exhibition about his life and work, which was installed here in 1987 to celebrate the 200th anniversary.
