Ustek

Ustek sits on a narrow sandstone ridge, which meant the town could not spread sideways, and the response was to build outwards over the drop: a row of small timber houses stands on the eastern edge with their backs cantilevered out on posts above the rock, called the Ptaci domky, the bird houses, put up mostly in the early nineteenth century for Italian workers building the railway and for the poor of the town. Seen from below they appear to hang off the cliff. One is open as a museum showing how the rooms were used. The town above has a long arcaded square with sgraffito and painted facades, a Gothic church, and a synagogue of 1794 with a rabbi's house, restored and open, marking a Jewish community that lived here into the twentieth century. The ridge and the ponds below make the setting.

History

The name probably began as Úseč, from the personal name Úsek, and was worn down through Úšče and Úště to Úštěk. Excavations show the area inhabited from the 10th century, and the town is first mentioned in the foundation deed of the Litoměřice Chapter in 1218. It grew in importance under the Lords of Michalovice in the 14th century and became a town around 1361; debts forced them to sell it in 1387 to the Berka of Dubá family, who held it until 1426, when Václav Carda of Petrovice bought and fortified it. In 1475 it passed by marriage to the Sezima of Ústí family, under whom it prospered and grew quickly until 1620; in 1622 the estate was confiscated and divided between the Jesuits of Prague and Litoměřice, who encouraged crafts and farming, above all hop growing. A large fire destroyed most of the square in 1765, the Jesuits held the town until their order was abolished in 1773, and from 1838 until 1849 Úštěk belonged to the Lobkowicz estate of Liběšice (Wikipedia, Úštěk).

Highlights

• The bird houses - timber cottages cantilevered out over the rock face.
• One open as a museum - showing how the cramped rooms were lived in.
• An arcaded square - sgraffito and painted facades along the ridge top.
• A synagogue of 1794 - restored, with the rabbi's house beside it.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

Before you go

The bird houses are best seen from the path below, and only one is open. The synagogue keeps limited seasonal hours and closes Saturdays. The town is very small.

Nearby

Litomerice is south-west; Kokorinsko is east.

Key facts