Golden Trail over the Land of Castles
The "Golden Trail over the Land of Castles" with a total length of 89 km from Budyně nad Ohří to Úštěk connects most of the important castle monuments in the area of the Central Bohemian Uplands.
The Central Bohemian Uplands are surely a region with a unique atmosphere of beautiful nature, high basalt mounds and - above all - the land of castle ruins that crown these magnificant peaks. And those wonderful views of the region… you will love them! You will not see anything similar in the Czech lands. Moreover, few people realize that the Central Bohemian Uplands is the place where the oldest Czech legends take place and that it is also the only region where the invincible Czech military leader Jan Žižka from Trocnov imprinted his strategic genius on his own castle - Kalich.
Stops
Kamýk
The first mention of Kamýk dates back to 1319, when King John of Luxembourg granted it as a hereditary fief to Henry of Kamýk; the task of the fief castle was, among other things, to control long-distance routes and to provide support for the royal power in case of wars and in peace.
Between 1352 and 1425 it belonged to the Hare of Házmburk and then to several other owners. In 1431 Kamýk was bought by William of Konice and Lstibor. The Lords of Lstiboř resided at Kamýk and later took the name of the castle; their rule lasted almost two hundred years until its final decline. This began to manifest itself gradually in the post-Husitanian period and culminated during the Thirty Years' War in 1632, when the castle was conquered and devastated by the Saxon army. Access to the castle is from the east, where a moat was dug and a rampart built. The road probably continued along the terrace on the north side to the west, where there used to be another gate. The top of the hill transitions into a basalt hillock, on which the main residential and defensive structure of the castle stood: an irregular pentagonal tower, accessible by a staircase through a narrow rock passage on the west side. The rock is surrounded by a mid-16th-century fortified circuit, with a Renaissance palace with large windows adjoining the south side. There are cellars carved into the rock below the castle.
Article from the newspaper
Founded before 1319 at the instigation of King John of Luxembourg, the castle served to control the Elbe Valley, which still offers an excellent view today. It was rebuilt in the Renaissance style in the 16th century and devastated by the Saxon army during the Thirty Years' War in 1632. On a high rock face, the torso of the residential tower is still preserved, surrounded by a ring of buildings and walls.
Access from the village of Kamýk (not marked, blue TZ - "Golden Trail through the Land of Castles").
Photo gallery
Galerie - Kamýk
