Benesov nad Ploucnici Castle

The dominating feature of the Benešov nad Ploučnicí town is actually two castles from the 13th century, the Lower and Upper castles. There is a permanent exhibition of Chinese art and day and night tours are available as well as social meetings. 

The history of the castle started in the 13th century when a settlement of tradesmen and shopkeepers began under the castle Ostrý. The people were satisfied there, the settlement grew and one day in 1392 Jan from Michalovice named the settlement a town. The son of the owner, Hynek Berka from Dubá, was a hussite antagonist and in 1422 he called together a congress of the antihussite catholic nobility from Northern Bohemia. The Hussites didn´t hesitate to besiege Benešov many times over the next few years.

Since, the town was protected only by a simple wall, a moat and a mound, it was rapidly plundered and burnt out. Then in 1515 the Salhausen family from Míšeň bought the castle. That was the beginning of the rise of the town. The castle was rebuilt and sold many times. In 1945 it became a possession of the state and then in 1956 it was declared a castle of the 1st category. Unfortunately, the castle was destroyed by fire in 1969. It took a couple of years before it was reopened to the public.

References:

• ceskosaske-svycarsko.cz

Address

náměstí Míru, Benešov nad Ploučnicí, Czech Republic

Details

Founded: 13th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Czech Republic