Lelekovice Castle

The ruin of the castle lies near the church of St. Philip and James in Lelekovice, the village of the district Brno-venkov in the South Moravian Region. Although only fragments remained today, archaeological research revealed the complex history of the building and its surroundings, which goes back to prehistoric times.

The castle was founded by the lords of Lelekovice in the 14th century. His founder was most likely Olomouc judge Hereš z Lelekovic, mentioned in written sources between 1339 and 1358. The first mention of the castle itself dates back to 1358. You had a brother named Bushka, a wife named Elishka and three descendants - the sons of Yishka and Bushka and daughter of Margaret. He died during a plague epidemic in the mid-14th century.

But the next generation was no longer in bloom. Hereš's son Bushek, who married Anna first and later Jutka later, died in 1368. Then the obvious economic decline began. The benefits collected from the subjects were no longer sufficient to maintain the standard of living of the owners of the smaller estate. One of the sons of Bushek sold his first estate in 1369 and nine years later he only owned half the castle. Hermane, another member of the family, only one third left.

In the second half of the fourteenth century, other people entered the fight for property in Lelekovice. Margrave Jan Jindřech tried to acquire real estate in the years 1373 to 1375. In 1379 Mikšík, Povbor and Heřman of Lelekovice transferred their shares - the division lasted and the owners increased. Louis of Ubušín got part of the castle by marrying Eulália, widow of Vznato of Lelekovice, and gradually expanded his part. In 1387 the castle was owned by several people, among whom were Heřman of Lelekovice, Ludvik of Ubušín and married Peter and Vzdnat Hecht of Rosic. It was the Hechts who managed to get the entire castle into one possession by 1392.

But the time of peace did not last long. In 1401 the castle was occupied by opponents of Margrave Yošt. The judge Erhart ze Skal intervened against them, who hurled into the conquest with the strength of the Brno townspeople and using firearms. Archaeological findings - bomb ammunition and a lead missile - indicate the intensity of the attack. The castle was damaged in the attack, and although Erhart received it in 1412 as part of the Lelekovice estate, it was never restored. From 1447 there was a mention of Jan Dupník's tenement from Nitkovic, which was probably located in the premises of the vanguard.

Josef Unger's archaeological research revealed a site where there were no visible traces of the mansion, almost a whole castle core. Research has shown that the island was settled in prehistoric times during a culture with Moravian painted ceramics at the end of the neolithic. Among the найденé artifacts were ceramics, animal bones and stone tools which could later be used as amulets or flint stones. The analysis of animal bones showed the predominance of livestock - mainly cattle and domestic pigs - while the game accounted for only about eight percent of the meat consumed.

The remains of the castle have long been protected as a cultural monument. However, in 2020, the Ministry of Culture decided that the 1989 registration was delayed, so the monument protection ended on the last day of 1987.