Klapý, Czech Central Highlands Founded mid-13th century Gothic Castle
Once an impregnable Gothic castle, now a dominant feature of the Czech Central Highlands, easily recognizable from afar. Built on a steep basalt massif, the castle was founded in the mid-13th century by the Lichtenburg family. Its two characteristic towers - the prismatic White Tower (26 m) and the oval Black Tower (25 m) - are visible for tens of kilometers.
From 1336 to 1558, the castle served as the seat of the prominent Zajíc of Hazmburk family and was considered one of the strongest castles of its time. Throughout its entire history, it was never conquered. More information can be found on the official Házmburk Castle website or on the National Heritage Institute pages.
Works directly in your browser - no installation required
The basalt hill of Házmburk reaches a height of 418 m and, according to archaeological findings, was inhabited as early as the 5th millennium BC by people of the Stroke-ornamented ware culture. Between the 8th and 10th centuries, Slavs settled the hill, likely building an early medieval hillfort there.
The first written mention of the village of Klapý dates to 1197. The castle itself was built in the first half of the 14th century by the Lichtenburg family. The first reliable mention of the castle comes from 1335, when King John of Luxembourg acquired the estate in exchange from Hynek of Lichtenburg.
In 1336, King John of Luxembourg sold the castle, the town of Libochovice, and other villages to Zbyněk Zajíc of Valdek for 2,300 Prague groschen. Zbyněk renamed the castle Hasenburg (German "hare" = Hase) after his family coat of arms. From 1337, he began using the title "of Hazmburk."
The castle became the ancestral seat of the prominent noble family Zajíc of Hazmburk, who owned it until 1558. Zbyněk expanded the castle with walls and gates, the Black Tower, and other buildings. Házmburk thus occupied the entire unforested area of the hill.
During the Hussite Wars, the Zajíc family sided with the Catholics. The castles of Házmburk, Budyně, and the town of Libochovice were strong supporters of Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg. Jan Žižka conquered Libochovice in 1424 but failed in besieging the castle. The Hussites attempted to capture the castle again in 1429 and two years later.
Due to its impregnability, Házmburk was chosen in 1440 as a safe haven for church treasures from Prague Castle and precious liturgical vestments from the Strahov Monastery. Throughout its entire history, the castle was never conquered.
On the southeastern side of the hill stood the fortified town of Podhradí (in earliest mentions Podhradín), which served as the economic and commercial center for the castle. The first mention dates to 1452. The town was likely founded after the destruction of Libochovice by the Hussites in 1424, when the castle lost its natural hinterland.
The center of the town was a church dedicated to St. Nicholas, which replaced the missing castle chapel. In 1550 and 1553, the town is already mentioned as abandoned. To this day, significant portions of the wall survive, reaching heights of 4 meters with towers and bastions at the corners.
After the sale in 1558, the castle passed through the hands of the Lobkowicz, Šternberk (1613), Ditrichštejn (1676), and Herberstein (1858-1945) families. At the end of the 19th century, both the castle and the village of Klapý were struck by a series of catastrophic landslides. The basalt hill collapsed three times:
Házmburk Castle was considered impregnable. The access road to the castle, situated on an elongated hill, led from the northwest along the wall. The castle consists of a lower and upper castle separated by a moat.
Házmburk Castle is accessible from late March to October (except Mondays, and also Tuesdays in October) during visiting hours. Hiking trails lead to the castle - yellow-marked from Klapý (where parking is available) and red-marked from Libochovice to Třebenice.
The White Tower serves as an observation tower with magnificent views of the lower Labe region, Poohří, Czech Central Highlands, Milešovka, Sedlo, Radobýl, or Říp mountain. The path to the castle is about 2.5 km from the parking lot and is moderately difficult with an elevation gain of nearly 200 m.
