Freudenstein Castle, Jáchymov, Czech Republic

Freudenstein castle is situated outside the boundaries of the Jáchymov on a hill above the northwest edge of the town. Built by Stephan Schlick between 1516-1517 it was used for protection. Reportedly, illegal minting of the first Jáchymov thalers started in its cellars in 1519. In 1547, the castle became royal property and was used as the seat of the Royal Inspectors of the Mines. During siege by the Swedish army In 1634, the castle was considerably damaged by artillery and burnt down. Afterwards it wasn't cared for and it withered away. The masonry of the defensive walls has been worn down and used as building material.Only two towers were upstanding. A larger tower in the northwest corner, called Šlik (Schlick) tower, still exists in its full height of 19 m. In the southwest corner, there is a lower cylindrical tower called the Prachárna (powder store), 12 meters high. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the tower was used to store gunpowder for mining purposes.

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Castles and fortifications in Czech Republic

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M. M. Cabicar (4 years ago)
Jedna z nejpodivnějších zřícenin, jaké jsem kdy viděl. Dvě zcela zachované věže a mezi nimi nic. Takže zřícenina je, když si mezi těmi dvěmi věžemi domyslíte hrad, ze kterého nezůstala ani zřícenina. Nicméně tyto Dvě věže mohli inspirovat spisovatele Tolkiena k novému románu.

Marcela Sýsová (5 years ago)
It is a pity that the building is not accessible

Petr Zmatlík (5 years ago)
Interesting but closed.

Michal Surkov (5 years ago)
- the road from Nové Město to the upper Jáchymov is nice, which descends through the forest and meadows to the Šlik Tower and around the gallery No. 1 to the town hall in the upper part of Jáchymov - nice views of Klínovec, Klobouk hill and Jáchymov open up - You can get to Nové Město by bus from Jáchymov via the Abertam bend - from the upper part of Jáchymov you can continue to the city center, or to the spa part

Miroslava Zosinčuková (5 years ago)
Šlikovka is closed but the surroundings are great. There was a festival outside. 5 bands played and it was great.

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Sigmaringen Castle

Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.

The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.

These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.

Freudenstein Castle

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