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:Stobi was an ancient town of Paeonia located near Gradsko. It is considered by many to be the most famous archaeological site in North Macedonia. Stobi was built where the Erigon (Crna River) joins the Axios (Vardar), making it strategically important as a center for both trade and warfare.
Stobi developed from a Paeonian settlement established in the Archaic period. It is believed that in 217 BCE, Philip V annexed Paionia during his campaign against the Dardani who had entered Bylazora, the largest Paeonian town.
The city was first mentioned in writing by the historian Livy, in connection with a victory of Philip V of Macedon over the Dardani in 197 BC. In 168 BC, the Romans defeated Perseus and Macedonia was divided into four nominally independent republics. In 148 BC, the four areas of Macedonia were brought together in a unified Roman province. In the reign of Augustus the city grew in size and population.