Hasištejn (ruins)

The history of Hasištejn Castle is quite varied. After it was conquered by the troops of Wenceslas IV, the king stopped the severely damaged building from Mikuláš of Lobkovice, who rebuilt the castle so that it could be inhabited. After he died, the castle fell to his son Nicholas II. Hasištejn, whose descendant was Bohuslav Hasištejnský from Lobkovice, who was a well-known humanist, researcher and writer. He had the castle fortified during his reign and set up a rich library and valuable collections of works of art in the interior.

In the period after the Battle of White Mountain, the castle was confiscated and relatively damaged. Its dilapidated condition deepened even more during the Thirty Years' War.

At the end of the 19th century, Hasištejn became the property of Emanuel Karsch, who had the castle repaired a bit, strengthened the walls and rebuilt the palace building into a restaurant, and the tower began to serve as a lookout tower.

The core of the castle is connected to a round bergfrit and the most protected place of the castle is the palace, which has the form of a residential tower. Opposite the entrance gate, a chapel with a presbytery was built near the castle, adjoining the perimeter of the castle. The castle underwent major alterations after 1418, when the tower-like palace was enlarged, but above all the external fortifications were extended. A new fort was built, a cellar with a barrel vault and a flat courtyard above it.

To date, most of the buildings and walls have been preserved, but the roofs are mostly missing and the ceilings have collapsed over the years. Today, Bergfrit serves as a lookout tower, offering visitors a magical view.

Author: Andrea Štyndlová