State Castle Trosky

This castle is also know as Devil´s Horn, because it looks like devil´s horn sticking out of the ground.

The castle was estabilished in late middle ages, probably between 1380 and 1390 ot the big rock. Founder of the castle was Cenek form Vartemberk, who created castle with residential palaces and on the top of the rock he bulit up defense towers. The rock was divided into several part. First was calles Baba, where was built up two-storey building. Second part was called Panna, where was three-storey palace, in whose space was castle chapel. Life was only in upper floors, the lower parts were used as warehouses.

Defense formed 3 walls 1,5 – 2 meters wide and 15 meters hide. Behind the first wall we can find the remains of the former burgraves´s office. This space of the first courtyard served as economic background. Behind the second wall was interior of the castle, where were stables and small residentia buildings. At the stairs to the Babu tower stood tall wooden palace. To the left of this courtyard was access by stone steps through a small pedestrian gate to the best protected part of the castle, where today we can find the remains of the main palace. The palace was originally longitudinally divided, with beamed ceilings, four-storey, with visible remnants of holes in each floor.

The founder of the castle, Cenek of Vartemberk, came from the powerfu North Bohemian Markvartice family. At the end of his life, he became indebted (perharps by building a castle), so that in 1394 he had to cede his estates Nový Bydžov and Trosky to King Wenceslas IV.. After four years, Václav IV. sells the castle to the powerful Bergov family, who farmes in Trosky Castle until 1455. Next owner was Jan Zajic form Hasenburg, who also owns the nearby Kost Castle. At the time the castle was fully inhabited and it has never been recharged in its entire history,

Over time, the castle loses its importance, the manor preferres to live on the Kost Castle or in more comfortable Hruba Skala Cheteau. Many owners took turns at the castle ruins. The last owner was Jan exa of Aehrenthal (1821), who built a lookout tower on the castle, which has survived to this day. In 1925, the castle became the property of the Czechoslovak state, in whose possessionit remains to this day.

For more information about the Liberec region, from which this chateau comes, click here and here.