Rychmburk Castle

The castle Rychmburk is located near the village Předhradí in the Pardubice region, about 5 kilometres east of Skutč. It lies on the northeast end of the steep edge, which forms the valley of Krounka and Leshansky creek. Its location and long history is one of the interesting medieval centres of eastern Bohemia.

The castle was founded in the first quarter of the 14th century. The founder was Tas z Mrdic and his then co-owner, Heřman z Mrdic, who later lived here. In the second half of the 14th century it was gradually dominated by members of the mighty family of Pardubice - first Vilém z Pardubic, brother of Archbishop Arnošt of Prague, and then his son Smil Flaška z Pardubic, the famous medieval poet and writer. Their follower died in 1403 and the genus gradually released his right to property.

The 15th century brought political upheavals characteristic of that time. In 1425, the Hussites seized the castle, but let us not notice that the castle had not been conquered - his crew gave up their freedom of passage when they burned the abbot not far from Lažany. Hussite military leader Jan Pardus has been here since 1433. When the monarchy came through after the Hussites, the estate returned to the old noble families. They couldn't rule from Pardubice; Instead, the castle became the centre of the mighty rich family - the Berks of Dubé and Lipé.

The 16th century was particularly seen by Wilhelm of Valdštejn, who did extensive repairs in 1537. The war point became 1558, when Zdeněk Berka z Dubé a Lipé bought the entire estate and laid the foundations of the long Berkov period.

The 17th century was the height of the Berk government. Lev Burián Berka (1586-1626) extended the manor to Rosice, Dentice, Rístok, Dashika and Slatiňany, thus creating one of the largest veneers. In 1623 he won the count's title. Even though the estate was inhabited by his descendants until 1706 (when the house was completely extinct), his golden age ended in the 17th century.

The castle underwent Renaissance and Baroque reconstruction, which gave it a look corresponding to its new social weight. Although the relevant details are not known from history, its resemblance changed with the advent of new modes.

After World War II the castle was nationalized and served as a home for pensioners and social institutions. He hasn't been open to the public in 70 years. In May 2021, the castle finally opened up to the public again. Today it is the property of the Pardubice Region and protected as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic - proof that even buildings with such complicated modern history are worth saving and restoring.