Louzek Ruin

The chateau Louzek is located in the district of Český Krumlov, in the cadastral area of Suchdol near Bujanova, approximately four kilometres south of Kaplice. The nearest village is Skoronica. The ruin stands on an elevated rocky island over the left bank of Malš at an altitude of 600 metres. The chateau is protected as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic and included among the stops on the Czech-Austrian trail called the Earth Road.

The origin of Louzky is partially covered in fog. Archaeological findings show that the island was already settled here at the end of the 13th century, but it is not certain whether a fortified chateau stood here at that time. According to the dendrochronological analysis of the building wood in the chateau, it came from trees slaughtered in 1357, suggesting construction activity in the mid-14th century. Some historians, however, have a hypothesis that the founder could be Jan z Maršovic, which would build the chateau after 1382, is in conflict with these archaeological documents.

The first written mention of the chateau comes from the letter of Oldřich from Rožmberk from 1421, where he mentions Harachér from Louzek, probably the owner of the chateau at that time, and probably also Rožmberk purcrabi. After 1423, the manor with the chateau came into the hands of Jan Malovka of Malovice. His three sons gave up the chateau in 1448 to Oldřich from Rožmberk, who joined the estate to his New Chateau. Louzek became useless and was abandoned. In 1541 it is already called "Lažek chateau desolate" in the descriptions of the Neo-hrad estate.

The construction form of Louzky indicates a gradual transformation. The two-part chateau had an original form of bergfrit or donjon character. In later construction stages the chateau core expanded to a block layout that was popular in the fourteenth century in calmer times. The small front was spread west of the core. The north and west sides protected a pair of valleys with a moat between them, and in the south it provided protection for the steep valley slope. In the northwest of the outer wall, probably in the fifteenth century, a wooden cabin was built connected to the artillery defense. The core itself was secured by a similarly double line of ditches.

Fragments of two buildings were preserved in the chateau core. The square tower in the northwest of Nароží measured 8 × 8,4 metres; the entrance to it was led by a portal on the first floor. Along the south side of the courtyard stood a palace with a grafted chamber unusually located on the ground floor, which indicates that in the first building phase the palace was only ground floor with a wooden south side. Later the palace expanded and its premises were illuminated by large windows. A new gate grew between the tower and the palace.

Today in Louzký, the terrain remains of fortifications and remains of buildings will be preserved, which allow us to understand its structure and development. The ruin is freely accessible to those who attract true history over festivities.