The ruins of Lichnice Castle (also: ''Lichtenburk Castle'') are on the edge of the
Iron Mountains
The Iron Mountains are a subrange of the Blue Ridge Mountains. These mountains are located around the common meeting point of Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina.
A portion of the Appalachian Trail runs the crest of the Iron Mountains ab ...
, near the Czech village of Podhradí, in the municipality of
Třemošnice
Třemošnice () is a town in Chrudim District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,300 inhabitants.
Administrative division
Třemošnice consists of eight municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 cens ...
, about east of
Čáslav
Čáslav (; ) is a town in Kutná Hora District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone.
Administrative division ...
.
History
The castle was probably constructed as a royal base in the first half of the 13th century. It was first mentioned in 1261, when it was in possession of Smil of
Ronow, who called himself "Smil of Lichtenburg" and thereby created the "von Lichtenburg" family.
The castle had a triangular floor plan with two residential towers. In the 14th century, alterations were made, and it was reacquired by the
Bohemian Crown
The Lands of the Bohemian Crown were the states in Central Europe during the medieval and early modern periods with feudal obligations to the Bohemian kings. The crown lands primarily consisted of the Kingdom of Bohemia, an electorate of the Hol ...
in 1410. It was conquered in 1421, during the
Hussite Wars
The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, a ...
, and besieged unsuccessfully in 1428.
In 1490, the castle and estate of Lichtenburg were acquired by the
Trčka of Lípa family, who rebuilt the castle in a
late Gothic style.
The edifice lost its importance at the end of the 16th century, and the fortifications were dismantled. By 1700, it was already described as a ruin.
Further reading
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External links
Tourist information(in Czech)
History of Lichnice(in Czech)
Castles in the Czech Republic
Chrudim District
Castles in the Pardubice Region
Ruined castles in the Czech Republic
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