Trosky Castle

According to archaeological research, the castle was founded significantly earlier than its first written mention in 1396, by which time Čeněk was already deceased and referred to with the epithet "of Trosky."

Financial troubles in the early 1390s forced him to transfer the castle to King Wenceslaus IV, from whom it was acquired by Otto III of Bergau.

Otto IV of Bergau, although posing as a zealous Catholic, raided the monastery in Opatovice and stole its famous treasure, which he is said to have hidden in Trosky Castle, supposedly in an underground cellar blocked by a huge boulder.

During the Hussite Wars, Trosky was a center of the pro-Catholic side, serving as a stronghold alongside castles like Kost, Kumburk, Frýdštejn, Bezděz, and Ralsko, providing connections between Bohemia and the Lusatian League.

From 1438 onwards, the robber knight Kryštof Šov of Helfenburg and his companion Švejkar settled in it to tyrannize the villagers in the surrounding countryside, before the people of Görlitz and Zittau, members of the Lusatian League, banded together to capture them.

This was short-lived, and in 1469, King George’s forces besieged Trosky, Budyně nad Ohří, Hrubá Skála, and Návarov.

The castle's significance declined, and by the second half of the 15th century, it was no longer a noble residence but was managed by estate officials.

In 1681, the enlightened Jesuit Bohuslav Balbín visited the ruins, possibly the first documented example of a trip solely for historical research purposes.

Restoration efforts began as early as 1923, led by the Czech Tourist Club, focusing on repairing both towers, walls, and gates.