Litice (hrad, okres Plzeň-město) Housing estate

Welcome to the ruins of Castle Litice. You have just entered the space where history meets the silence of Pilsen landscape. Stop for a moment, take a breath and look around you. You are standing in a strategic place, a so-called sharpness, which naturally stands out above the confluence of the Litic creek and the Radbuza River. It is this position, surrounded by water flows, that gave the castle its greatest glory of unsurpassed and significance. In front of you, the remains of a once powerful structure are now spread out, which today resembles only the shadows of its past, but still radiates pride and strength. Feel the atmosphere of this place where the wind whispers stories of knights, kings and moths.

Let us now return together in time, deep into the Middle Ages, to understand how this journey began. Imagine the first third of the 13th century. At that time in Czech countries there was a trend of replacing old fortifications with new, more modern structures. This is when the first wooden building was built. Litice is therefore one of the oldest noble castles in the whole Czech Republic. The first written mention from 1212 brings us to a person named Oldřich z Litic. Imagine him as one of the first masters of this place to establish the basis for a future strategic home in this wilderness. At the time, the castle was not only a home, but above all a fortress to guard the surroundings and demonstrate the power of its owner.

Now pay attention to what you see before you. Even though Litice is a ruin today, you can still read a trail of Gothic style in it. Look at the remnants of the walls and see how the castle copies the terrain of the edge. Gothic was not only about pointy curves, but above all about vertical-facing space and efficient use of terrain. Notice how the ruins are spread out in space and how dominant the surrounding valleys are. Even though there are no more roofs or floating towers, the castle's very schedule tells you how carefully his defence equipment has been thought out. Take a look at the facade of the remaining walls and try to imagine what these stones looked like centuries ago, when they were plastered and protected the inhabitants of the castle from enemies and weather.

The history of Litic is not only the story of one noble family, but it is closely linked to the highest powers in the country. The castle was in the possession of the Czech kings themselves at certain times, indicating its enormous strategic value. In 1304 King Václav the Second became owner of half the castle. Imagine the prestige that had to have the place that the co-ruler had. Litice thus became part of the board of political interests at the time. However, life in the castle was not just about diplomatic visits and luxury. History is written in blood and fighting. In 1318 there was a dramatic break when the castle was conquered by the army of John of Luxembourg. This event shows that even such a well-fortified spot on the island could have been compromised in a direct attack by the Royal Army.

If we look further into the 14th century, we will find that the fate of the castle has changed again. In 1367, the castle was sold to the premonstras of Chotosov. Imagine, then, that instead of armed soldiers and noblemen, monks in white robes began to move here, who in the silence of these spaces sought the closeness to God. This change in the character of the castle from the military fortress to the seat of the clergy was at that time quite common, when strategic places became centres of the administration of church property.

However, no fortress is eternal. The break brought the Hussite wars, which solved the foundations of many Czech castles. After this turbulent period, the castle Litice was abandoned. Imagine the moment of silence when the last person left the castle, the gates remained open and the spaces where voices and steps had previously sounded began to penetrate. The castle began to crumble slowly, the stones burst under the frost and the walls filled the plants. This process continued until the nineteenth century, when the castle was gradually dismantled. At that time, the ruins were often seen as a source of cheap building material for the surrounding buildings, which caused the last fatal blow to castle Litice. In later times, the place associated names, such as Karel Alexander Thurn Taxis, became part of its wider history, although the castle was no longer in full glory.

You may now be interested in why Litice is still so fascinating, even though all that remains is ruins. There's a mystery and melancholy. It's a place that reminds us of the fleeting power and time. Take another look at the river and creek confluence below you. The water still flows here as it flowed at the time of Oldřich from Litik or King Václav the Second. While human structures fall to the ground and return to nature, the landscape remains. It is this contrast between the endurance of nature and the fragility of human architecture that makes Litic a place with unrepeatable energy. Today this ruin is protected as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic, which means that its remains are now safe and can tell their story to other generations.

Now that you know the basic fates of this place, I encourage you to go on your own research. Go through the ruins at a slow pace. Feel the texture of the stones, listen to the noise of water in the valley and try to reconstruct images from the past in your mind. Where was the main gate? Which way did the monks walk into their chambers? Where was the soldier who observed the approaching army of John of Luxembourg in 1318? Let your imagination guide you, but at the same time respect the peace and quiet of this historic space.

Litice is not just a pile of stones, it is the archive of our ancestors, written directly into the landscape. I hope that this short journey has attracted you over time and that you have felt the depth of history that still lies in these walls. I wish you a pleasant rest of the walk and don't forget to take only memories and photographs while leaving the castle with you. See you in the next corner of our beautiful country.