Golden Trail over the Land of Castles | 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

Over the centuries, Skalka was owned by several aristocratic families, including the Hrzáns of Harasov. During the Thirty Years' War, in 1639, Skalka Castle was ravaged by Swedish troops. Its remainders (useable building materianls) were subsequently used by the Hrzáns in the construction of a Baroque chateau, the Renaissance predecessor of which, was built on the site perhaps before 1579. Skalka was a small two-part castle. The fort, from which virtually nothing has been preserved, stood in the southwest. The small core in the northeast was occupied a distinctive rock knot, crowning the top of the hill. At the highest point of the site rises a tower with surprisingly preserved battlements, which is 15.5 m high and has an irregular base; the entrance to the tower is located at a height of 9.5 m above the ground. Inside the tower you can see inscriptions engraved by prisoners (at the time when the tower served as a prison) and later tourists. The tower covers a small area, where the now completely defunct palace probably stood. The castle, standing at the northern foot of the castle rock, is a rectangular two-storey Baroque building with a short side wing. The main entrance to the building is located on a long northwest wall. The facades of the building are divided by a pilaster order.

Newspaper article

The small seat of the local aristocratic families, first mentioned in 1357, survived until Thirty Years' War without major complications, when it was destroyed by the Swedes. The Hrzán family from Harasov subsequently built a new chateau building from the ruins of the castle, the silhouette of which is enriched in an unusual way by the old castle tower. The chateau houses exhibitions of regional artists and a small exhibition of castles in the Central Bohemian Uplands. Access from: Vlastislav

Photo gallery

Galerie - Skalka