Šelmberk (Lesná) Castle
Objekt se nedochoval — na místě dnes nestojí. Následující text popisuje jeho historii, ne současnou návštěvu.
Šelmberk, also known as Old Castle, is a extinct fortified guard point in the Czech forest near the German border, located approximately 6 km west of the village Lesná in the district Tachov. The remains of this small castle were preserved on top of the Skalky in a natural monument of the same name at an altitude of 769 meters above sea level.
The reasons for building this modest fortification in desolate border forests remain still unclear. Historically, it is believed that it was related to the protection of gold mining in the nearby Golden Potok, even though the existence of these rice trees is not safely demonstrated. Indirect proofs of mining activities in the region come from later times - in 1708, Waldthurnski had set up a mining mine near Ostrůvka and 30 years later, in 1739, they built a mining house here. The castle was founded probably around 1300 and soon disappeared. The interesting thing is that Czech historian August Sedláček misidentified this place as Šelmberk, while the real Schellenberg is located several kilometres away on the German side of the border.
The building form was created by a one-piece castle with a circular plan, which, rather than the actual castle, represented a fortified guard point. From the fortifications, where wood played an important role, a moat and an outer wall were preserved. The double construction of the ditch on the west side was characteristic. The actual castle core occupied the top of a nine-metre rock in the middle of the complex. On the rock was probably a wooden building equipped with tiled stove, and on the northeast side a rectangular building was attached to it.
Archaeologically proven remains of the burnt lubricant indicate that the castle was destroyed by fire. Today, the remains are located in the protected natural monument of Na Skalky, which provides insight into the lower layers of medieval defence of Czech borders and life in these difficult to reach border forests.
Then and now
Drag the slider to compare how the landmark may have looked when it was built with the view today.
The historical appearance on the left is an AI-generated visualisation and serves as inspiration only.
Historical milestones
- 1300
- The foundation of the castle.
Architectural development
The castle was a simple building design with a round plan. Its fortification included wood and soil, with the main building heated by tiled stove at the top of the rock.
Historical events
- 1300
- The establishment of a castle in difficult to penetrate forests.
- 1708
- Expensive metal mining at Ostrovka, which suggests historical mining in the area.
- 1739
- Construction of the Waldthurn Mining House in the woods near Ostrovka.
Owners
Shelmberg
Hunting society
Points of interest
- Šelmberk is a extinct fortified guard point located on the hill Na Skalky in a natural monument of the same name.
- The reasons for building this modest fortification remain unclear, but historians believe it was related to the protection of gold mining at Golden Potok.
The castle was probably founded around 1300 and soon disappeared. August Sedláček erroneously identified this place as Shelmberg, while the real Schellenberg is located on the German side of the border.
- The building form was created by a one-piece castle with a circular plan, which was rather a fortified guard point. The cattle have been preserved as a moat and an outer wall.
- Archaeologically proven remains of the burnt lubricant indicate that the castle was destroyed by fire.
Guide
This guide is narrated by a synthetic voice generated by artificial intelligence.
Show guide text
This text was created by artificial intelligence and has not been editorially reviewed. It may contain inaccuracies.
Šelmberk, which is also called Starý zámek, is a ruined castle in Český les not far from the German border. Its remains lie about six kilometers west of the village of Lesná in the Tachov district, on a hill called Na Skalkách at an altitude of seven hundred sixty-nine meters. This place is part of a nature reserve of the same name.
Why someone built a small castle in the middle of desolate border forests remains unknown to this day. There is a theory that it was supposed to protect gold panning sites near the nearby Zlatý Potok. However, this has never been reliably documented. The mining of precious metals in the area is indicated only by much later reports. In seventeen hundred eight, the Waldthurns had a mining shaft set up in the forests near Ostrůvek, and in seventeen thirty-nine they supposedly even built a mining house there.
The fortification was very small, so it was more of a fortified guard post than an actual castle. Even the name Šelmberk is not accurate. The historian August Sedláček incorrectly called it this way. The actual castle of this name lies a few kilometers further away, already on the German side of the border.
The castle was probably built around the year thirteen hundred in difficult-to-traverse forests and soon after perished. Archaeologists found remnants of burnt wattle and daub here, which testify to a fire.
It was a single-part castle with a circular ground plan. Wood played a major role in its fortification. A ditch and outer rampart have been preserved, with the ditch doubled on the western side. The core of the castle lay in the middle of the area on top of a nine-meter-high rocky outcrop. A wooden building with tiled stoves probably stood on it. An oblong building was attached to the rock on the northeastern side.
For kids
Imagine going back to the past, when Shelmberg was a castle full of life and secrecy. He had supposedly hidden passageways and secret rooms that no one knew. But today, when we look at him, it's just the ruins of an old castle.
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Nearby
The surrounding area of the castle consists of forests Lesná and other monuments.
Visualizations and artistic views
The visualisations are generated by artificial intelligence and serve as inspiration.
Photos from the area
Real photos taken near the monument
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Sources and literature
Photos: pastorius / CC BY 3.0, rozlišení zvýšeno umělou inteligencí — Wikimedia Commons. The author and licence also appear when you hover over the image.
Faktickým podkladem tohoto textu byl článek na Wikipedii, jehož autory jsou přispěvatelé Wikipedie. Článek je dostupný pod licencí CC BY-SA 4.0.
Location on the map
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