At the beginning of the 14th century, the noble family of Vartemberk ordered the building of a castle on the hill near Nová Paka. It was originally called Goldenberk or Kolmburk, today`s Kumburk.
Because of massive renovation work, we do not know much about the original look of the castle. At the northeastern side, there are remnants of probably a walled fortification that may have been developed along the whole core structure. The fortification to protect against cannon attack is one of the best examples of the efforts made in the mid 15th century to protect places in an active way. From 1621 Kumburk was in the possession of Albrecht of Valdštejn. After his death, the castle changed hands several times and then, after 1658, Kumburk was nearly destroyed. In spite of that, nowadays it belongs among our most interesting castles.
The shortest way is from the railway station in Syřenov, along the yellow trail (3km). Other alternatives are Nová Paka and Stará Paka (4km) or the popular red tourist trail from Ploužnice (7km).
References:Château de Niort is a medieval castle in the French town of Niort. It consists of two square towers, linked by a 15th-century building and dominates the Sèvre Niortaise valley.
The two donjons are the only remaining part of the castle. The castle was started by Henry II Plantagenet in the 12th century and completed by Richard the Lionheart. It was defended by a rectangular curtain wall and was damaged during the Wars of Religion. In the 18th century, the castle served as a prison.
The present keeps were the central point of a massive fortress. The southern keep is 28m tall, reinforced with turrets. The northern tower is slightly shorter at 23m. Both are flanked with circular turrets at the corners as well as semicircular buttresses. Each of the towers has a spiral staircase serving the upper floors. The Romanesque architecture is of a high quality with the dressed stones closely jointed.