Nové hrady (hrad, okres Ústí nad Orlicí) Castle ruin

Welcome to the place where history touches the earth itself under your footsteps. You are standing on the top that once formed the heart of this region, and even though it appears to be a quiet place before your eyes today, in its atmosphere there is still a legacy of centuries ago. Look around you. You can see the fields, the green slopes and the view of the village Nové Hrady, which stretches below you. It may seem to you that this place is just a quiet ruin, but believe me, every terrain inequality and every stone residue you see here has a story. You stand outside the castle of New Castle, a place that in the past carried a much more spiritual name - the house of God.

Let's go back together to when the construction started. Imagine the second half of the 15th century. It is a period of turbulent change, a time when power relations in our countries have constantly regrouped. It was then, in these important years, that he decided to create Castle Zdeněk Kostka z Postupic. It was not just an ordinary construction act, but an effort to create a fixed point in this strategic location. If you wanted to find the first unshakeable proof that this castle actually existed, you would have to look in historical papers. The first written mention of this place appears between 1468 and 1471 and is linked to the letter issued by King George of Podebrad. This gives us a clear insight into how important this place was at the time of both Hussite and Post-Hussite revolutions.

Now pay attention to what you see around you. You may not see tall walls or majestic towers that might seem obvious to you, but that's what makes this place special. The castle is not seen as a building today, but as part of the landscape. Note how the terrain changes, how certain parts of the hill slightly rise or fall. What you're observing is relics of the fortifications at the time. These are traces left in the ground by a line of castle walls and defensive structures. Even though the stones themselves have disappeared, the earth itself remembers the face of the castle. Take a look at these terrain inequalities and try to imagine how powerful this castle must have been when its walls stood firm and its defenses could not be easily overcome.

The history of this place is like a chain of connected fates of powerful generations. The castle was not just a military fortress, it was a symbol of ownership and prestige. After the founder, Zdeněk Kostka of Potssoc, the owners took turns confirming their power in this region by holding this castle. Significant families like the Lobkovics and the Trautsons came into play. Each of them brought his own trail to this place, even though they no longer know the particular architectural details of their messages. Over the centuries, the castle has been the subject of trade and political transactions. For example, in 1559 King Ferdinand I. Habsburský sold the castle to Jan Žatecký of Weikersdorf. Years later, in 1580, the castle changed again in the hands of another powerful man when Ferdinand Švihovský sold it to Nicholas Popel of Lobkovic.

Notice how the name of the place itself changed. What was originally known as the house of God was first referred to as the New Castle in 1491. Why did that happen? Perhaps it was related to a new function that the castle was fulfilling at the time, or to a new vision of its owners. This name change is fascinating evidence of how the identity of this place changed over time.

Now, however, we must think about why these ruins have become such an important place. It is a tragedy that the castle was not destroyed by the enemy on the battlefield, but by people who owned it or worked with it. In a later period, the castle was deliberately demolished. But it was not an act of hate, but pragmatism. The stones from the castle have become a valuable source of building material. Instead of remaining a monumental monument to its past, its parts were taken to strengthen the future castle in Nové Hrady. This process of transformation from strength to material source is an important lesson about how things change in history and how old structures often sacrifice themselves to create new ones.

If you look at the surrounding landscape now, you can see an invisible trace of this process. What we see today as a ruin is actually a reminder of how people use what no longer serves their original purpose. It is a fascinating circle of life - the castle was created to protect, and then it was dismantled to build.

But we do have a mystery. What is there to hide under the layers of the earth in these today's fortifications? What other traces of the original house of God are not yet discovered here? Although only the terrain shapes are preserved here, their extent and complexity suggest that the original castle was much more complex than it appears today at first sight. Every step after these inequalities is basically a movement for history that tries to stay hidden, but still calls us by its presence.

Now I want to invite you to continue this journey. Let the atmosphere of this place drift. Explore the surrounding terrain, perceive the silence that prevails here, and try to build a picture of the castle that once stood here. Walking through these ruins is not just a physical movement in nature, it's a journey back to the 15th and 16th centuries. Thank you for choosing to visit New Castles and devote your time to understanding their history. I wish you a pleasant walk and many interesting discoveries in your next survey of this special place.