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
Ostrý Castle
Ostrý Castle was built between 1433 and 1436 by Václav Kaplíř of Sulevice on the territory that his family acquired in 1420.
The Kaplíř family owned Ostrý until 1505. From 1510, the estate belonged to the Wallensteins, who preferred a more comfortable fortress in Bílý Újezd to Ostrý. The castle was last mentioned as fully standing in 1536, but in 1565 it is already listed as desolate. In 1784, on Ostrý a bricklayer trying to find treasures established, an inn; however, it was soon destroyed by a storm.
Ostrý Castle was excellently fortified. At the highest point of the rocky hill stood a palace of unknown appearance, to which the height-rugged core adjoined in the west, south and east. Its irregularly oval surface was delimited around the perimeter by a stone wall, from which bastions or battery towers rose at the narrowed ends in the west and east. The path to the top winds spirally upwards, and is lined with walls of dry-laid stones, which were extended by wooden superstructures on the top. This already impressive fortification is complemented by several dirt bastions, of which at least three have a triangular or polygonal base, which puta Ostrý to a group of castle monuments of very high value.
Newspaper article
Ostrý Castle was built by Václav Kaplíř of Sulevice at some point around the Battle of Lipany. The choice of the place and the character of the building certainly show the influence of the then very turbulent times; Ostrý was a strong castle, which ironically fell only to the peaceful times of the 16th century. On a rocky hill southwest of Velemín, ruins of walls and remarkable earth fortifications have been preserved. Access from: Březno (blue tourist rout), Milešov (red and blue tourist rout).
Photo gallery
Galerie - Ostrý
