Castle Zborený Kostelec, Týnec nad Sázavou, Czech Republic

At the place where the Kamenický stream meets the Sázava river, you can visit the mysterious ruins of the royal castle demolished Kostelec. The ruins are part of a nature reserve and are freely accessible.

The castle was probably founded in the last third of the 13th century by King Wenceslas II, but the first written mention dates back to 1342, when it was held in pawn by Oldřich Medek of Valdek. Although Charles IV bought back the castle in 1356, he soon pawned it again and it had several owners over time. The last of them was Kuneš Rozkoš of Dubá from 1443, who looted in the surrounding area, and therefore the castle was besieged in 1449. It withstood this siege, but a year later, on May 18, 1450, it was besieged again and five days later it was conquered by the army under the command of Zdeněk Konopišťský of Šternberk, who became its new owner. In 1456, serfdom was abolished and he fortified it as one of his military strongholds. Later, he became a leading figure of the anti-Poděbrady opposition, and therefore the royal army captured and destroyed the castle in 1467.

User Reviews

petr jakubicek (2 years ago)
Superb castle with amazing view over the valley and river

Mariana Narendra (4 years ago)
A romantic ruin on top of a rock above the Sázava river visible from the river. Near the cycling path from Týnec to Nespeky but rather difficult to access up the steep hill with bikes - at least with kids. Popular place for overnight stays for groups of young people. Refreshment and simple field for putting up a tent and a simple playground can be found below the ruins by the river where there is also a refreshment van advertising burgers and more on grill but that was closed when we visited on a summer weekday. If you get hungry and you haven't brought any snacks you can have lunch in a nearby guesthouse in the village of Zbořený Kostelec.

Anna Antonenko (4 years ago)
Nice day trip from Prague, easy drive, nice walk in the forests

Petra (5 years ago)
Best place if you like nature and old castle ruins. It is possible to climb up on the castle wall and sit on the top with magnificent view into the valley with the river and village.

Cristian Berceanu (7 years ago)
Great place with nice history behind it!

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Photo from Flickr, copyright discopalace

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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.

Castle Zborený Kostelec

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