Kasperk Castle

Kasperk was founded in 1356 by Charles IV on a ridge at 886 metres in the Sumava foothills, which makes it the highest royal castle in Bohemia, and its purpose was economic: the district around Kasperske Hory was one of the main gold-producing areas in the kingdom, worked from placer deposits and then from shafts, and the Golden Road, the salt trade route from Passau, ran below. The castle is a long narrow block along the ridge with two towers at the ends and a palace between, and it survives as a stabilised ruin, roofless but with the walls to full height and the towers climbable. It was in use into the sixteenth century, then abandoned. The view runs over the forest to the Sumava ridge. Kasperske Hory below has a museum on the gold mining and the Golden Road, and the surrounding hills carry the traces of the workings.

What you actually see

• The highest royal castle in Bohemia - at 886 metres on a forest ridge.
• Two end towers - with the palace block between them, walls to full height.
• Gold-mining country - placer and shaft workings traceable in the hills.
• The Golden Road - the salt trade route from Passau running below.

When to go

May to September. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Access is on foot, about half an hour uphill from the nearest parking. It is a roofless ruin. Seasonal opening only, with tours at set times. Weather on the ridge changes fast.

Nearby

Kasperske Hory and its gold museum are below; Rabi is north.