About an hour’s drive north-east of Prague, the Gothic Bezděz castle watches over the region of Liberec. The view from the top of the Devil’s Tower is such that you can see one-eighth of the entire country!
I could see why it had been built there as I drove along the country lanes. It squats on top of a 604-metre high hill1 and can be seen at a great distance. This means anyone who controlled the castle could also monitor a huge area for attackers. Its prominent spot is helped by its grand and lofty Devil’s tower2. From this spot 34 metres higher than the rest of the castle you can see a quarter of Bohemia2. This is about an eighth of the entire country!
I knew about the thirteenth-century castle3 and had spotted it from Houska castle4. The two are no more than 20 minutes apart making them an ideal double-act for visitors.
The long walk up is arduous at best. We went up in summer and the hot humid weather had the shirts on our backs sticky in no time. The path is gravel and jagged rock making each step an adventure in its own right. As you climb the steep hill, 14 empty niches mark your progress. These had statues at some point and marked the Roman Catholic stations of the Cross. The castle is rich in Roman Catholic tradition. In the 17th century Montserrat Benedictines brought a copy of the Black Madonna of Monserrat here2. Legend has it that this Black Madonna healed the sick and performed miracles2. (For more about the black Madonna legends, read my article about the Black Madonna of Prague5.) The castle became the focal point for religious devotion. In 1740 more than 40 000 pilgrims visited6.
We stopped to catch our breath and grab a drink from the ticket office before entering the castle. I’ve no idea how they manage to get supplies up there.
There was a small concise tour but you can wander around the place on your own if you prefer. The southernmost walls contain the remains of a chapel and a few rooms. Some are better restored than others but don’t let this fool you. There are no windows and while it was still hot, there was a lovely breeze flowing through. I imagine the place must be awful in winter though.
The castle is in ruins at the moment but some restoration efforts keep the place going. It had been abandoned and recaptured many times over the years. The most recent battle it saw was the Thirty Years’ war when the invading Swedes captured it.
I’ve written about the Swedes’ bombardment of Prague, and how they were fooled into leaving Brno alone.
When abandoned, locals used to plunder it for bricks to build their own houses. This was a common habit in olden times; Dublin’s Kilmashogue tomb7 suffered from the same fate.
It’s this plundering which means we don’t know what we’ve lost. Some features, like barbicans, still exist by coincidence.
It’s a wonder the place is still around.
The 10-metre diameter tower8 and an internal spiral staircase is restored. We climbed up to the roof and got some of the best views I’ve ever seen in this country. It is a magnificent sight. The northern part of the building houses a few rooms with rotating exhibitions from local artists. In the courtyard a smithy grunted as he worked on hand-made metal trinkets. It’s a lovely day out but it wasn’t always accessible for visitors.
After World War II, the authorities banned people from using the castle and took it over. They didn’t do this out of a sense of national heritage or protection. They’d built a secret airfield nearby which was visible from the castle. They didn’t want some random tourist to spot it while up there!9
Share this with someone who loves exploring castle ruins!
- Humphreys, Rob, Tim Nollen (2004), Rough guide to the Czech & Slovak Republics, Rough Guides, 6th ed. p. 273. ISBN 1-85828-904-1[↩]
- Touring circuit; Hrad Bezděz; (Retrieved 2018-09-15) [↩][↩][↩][↩]
- Creation of the castle; Hrad Bezděz; (Retrieved 2018-09-15) [↩]
- The extraordinary castle on the gates to hell; Antoine Borg; The Unexpected Traveller; 2018-09-10[↩]
- Revealing the house of the Black Madonna; Antoine Borg; The Unexpected Traveller; 2015-06-15[↩]
- Monastery; Hrad Bezděz; (Retrieved 2018-09-15) [↩]
- Do you know Dublin has a surprising megalithic tomb?; Antoine Borg; The Unexpected Traveller; 2018-11-19[↩]
- Bezděz Castle; Pruvodce.com; (Retrieved 2008-04-21 [↩]
- The castle is coming to life; Hrad Bezděz; (Retrieved 2018-09-15) [↩]