Ohrid, North Macedonia
1313
Staro Nagoričane, North Macedonia
14th century
Ohrid, North Macedonia
6th century AD
Studeničani, North Macedonia
1346
Kumanovo, North Macedonia
16th century
Kičevo, North Macedonia
16th century
Studeničani, North Macedonia
1346
Kumanovo, North Macedonia
14th century
Kavadarci, North Macedonia
14th century
Střekov Castle (Schreckenstein) is perched atop a cliff above the River Elbe, near the city of Ústí nad Labem. It was built in 1316 for John of Luxembourg, the father of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, to guard an important trade route to Germany. After changing hands several times, the castle was acquired by the Lobkowicz family in 1563. Its strategic importance led to occupations by Imperial Habsburg, Saxon, and Swedish forces during the Thirty Years' War, as well as successive sieges by Austrian and Prussian armies during the Seven Years' War.
Although Střekov Castle was heavily damaged during those conflicts and abandoned as a military installation by the end of the 18th century, the 1800s saw many poets and artists visiting the castle, drawn by a new trend of interest in romantic ruins.