Trosky Castle

Trosky is a castle built on the remains of a volcano. Two basalt plugs rise out of a low ridge, and a medieval builder put a tower on each, linking them with walls across the saddle between. The towers were given names, the Maiden for the slimmer one and the Crone for the squatter, and they have been ruins for centuries, which is exactly why the shape works: no roofs, no restoration, just two stumps of masonry on two stumps of rock. From the accessible tower the view runs over the sandstone country of the Bohemian Paradise, patchwork fields and villages, and on clear days the Krkonose ridge on the horizon.

What you actually see

• The two towers - the Maiden and the Crone, each set on its own basalt plug.
• The tower viewpoint - the platform reached by stairs and ladders inside one of the towers.
• The connecting walls - the ruined curtain and courtyard strung across the saddle between the rocks.
• The Bohemian Paradise panorama - sandstone ridges, fields and distant mountains from the summit.

When to go

April to October, when the towers are open and the internal stairs and ladders are in use; the site closes for winter. Clear autumn days give the longest views and thin the crowds. Weekends in July and August are busy with families, and the last stretch of ladder can queue in both directions.

Honest expectations

The approach is a steady twenty-minute climb from the car park, and the final section inside the tower is a steep metal ladder that will not suit everyone. The ruins themselves are small, so the appeal is the shape and the view rather than anything to explore. In poor visibility there is little reason to go up at all.

Nearby

Hruba Skala and the Prachov Rocks are within a short drive, and Turnov is the regional base.