Trosky Castle

Trosky was built between 1380 and 1390 by the aristocrat Čeněk of Wartenberg as his family seat. Because of significant debts, he was forced to sell it shortly after its construction to the lords of Bergov. In 1428, the castle resisted a siege by the Hussite army. As early as the 15^th century, the family stopped using it as their residence, but it kept its strategic significance and during the Thirty Years’ War it was plundered on several occasions by Swedish and Habsburg armies. The abandoned ruin drew attention again in the 19^th century, when its silhouette fascinated many Romantic painters and poets; the castle featured, for example, in the poems by Karel Hynek Mácha. To this day it remains a favourite among holiday makers.

The castle was built on a unique basalt formation with two tall diatremes. On their tops, two keeps were built: the taller, square one, called Panna, and the lower, hexagonal one, called Baba. The castle’s core with peripheral walls and two palaces is located on the elevated saddle between the keeps. The larger of the palaces under the Panna keep is a tall building, with three storeys, from which only the last one was used as a residence and lit by large windows. The other two storeys were primarily used for storing supplies and weapons in case of a siege. From the other palace, lying under the Baba keep and built partly from wood, only fragments have been preserved. Commercial buildings were located in the now-defunct outer court.