Týnec nad Sázavou Founded circa 1280-1300 Royal Castle
Zbořený Kostelec Castle (originally Kostelec nad Sázavou) is a massive ruin of a royal castle on a strategic promontory above the confluence of the Sázava River and Kamenický Stream. Founded probably by King Wenceslaus II at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, it served as an important royal fortress guarding trade routes along the Sázava River.
Explore the interactive 3D model of Zbořený Kostelec Castle in the 3DČesko app and discover every detail of this fascinating monument. The model captures the probable historical appearance of the castle shortly after its completion. You will be transported back to the time when the castle stood in its full glory.
This presentation is only available in the mobile app.
The castle was probably founded by King Wenceslaus II in the last third of the 13th century as a royal fortress guarding an important trade route along the Sázava River. The first written mention dates from 1342, when the castle was pledged to Oldřich Medek of Valdek. Charles IV redeemed the castle in 1356, but soon pledged it again, and it subsequently changed several owners.
From 1411, the castle was held by Jan Sádlo of Smilkov, a favorite of Wenceslaus IV, royal counselor, and supreme huntsman from 1417-1419. In 1421, he was elected to the twenty-member provisional government, but in October of the same year, he was beheaded at the Prague town hall without the possibility of defense on charges of treason.
In 1443, the castle was acquired by Kuneš Rozkoš of Dubá, who plundered the surrounding area and used the castle as a base for his raids. In 1449, the castle was besieged and still resisted this attack, but a year later, on May 18, 1450, it was besieged again by an army led by Zdeněk Konopišťský of Šternberk. After five days, on May 23, 1450, it was conquered, demolished, and the walls dismantled.
The ruined castle was acquired by Zdeněk Konopišťský, and in 1456 it was freed from feudal obligations and annexed to the Šternberk's Konopiště estate. The new owner significantly renovated the castle, but not as a residential seat - he rebuilt it as a military strongpoint capable of accommodating and ensuring the stay of a considerable number of soldiers.
A round protruding tower was built above the river (diameter up to 8 m, wall thickness 2.5 m), a new stone enclosure on the western side with a gate, and a significantly protruding elongated gate tower on the northern side. Inside the castle core, new buildings with barrel-vaulted ground floors were created.
During the civil war of the Zelená Hora Union with George of Poděbrady, Kostelec was besieged in spring 1467 by the royal army and conquered and demolished again in the second half of July that year. It was never restored, and since then it has been a castle ruin. On the northern side, remnants of the fortified camp of George of Poděbrady's forces have been preserved to this day - four regular depressions in the Čížov saddle, considered fire positions for large cannons and catapults.
The castle stood on a blunt promontory, which on the southeast descends in steep rocky cliffs to the Sázava River and on the southwest into the deep valley of Kamenický Stream. The remaining northern side was separated from the top of Hradečnice by a deep moat and rampart. The castle layout had a two-part structure of roughly oval shape.
The castle core with a semi-elliptical ground plan had an entrance gate on the east and was enclosed on all sides by a high, approximately 2 m thick curtain wall. Behind the curtain wall probably stood a large round tower. On the best-protected southwestern side, a residential building - the palace - adjoined the enclosure wall, whose outer wall was supported by three high buttress pillars.
The outer bailey surrounded the core on three sides and was entered through an entrance tower from the east. A wide moat in front of it, excavated in the rock down to the Sázava River, was closed by a transverse wall. After Zdeněk Konopišťský's reconstruction, the outer bailey gained a new elongated entrance gate with turnstiles for a drawbridge and a protruding round tower on a cliff above the stream mouth.
The 3D model of Zbořený Kostelec Castle in the 3DČesko app was created by scanning a physical model of the castle from the exhibition of the Cultural Center Týnec nad Sázavou. The model is supplemented with detailed textures using advanced photogrammetry and captures the historical state of this massive ruin. Thanks to interactive features and GPS location, it offers a unique experience of a virtual tour of the castle as it looked shortly after its completion in the Middle Ages.
Zbořený Kostelec Castle is located in the Čížov Nature Reserve above the right bank of the Sázava River, near the village of Zbořený Kostelec near Týnec nad Sázavou in the Benešov district. The ruin is freely accessible and offers beautiful views of the Sázava Valley and surrounding forested landscapes. Since 1965, it has been protected as a cultural monument.
If you visit Zbořený Kostelec, be sure to also check out the nearby Týnec Castle, which is located directly in the town of Týnec nad Sázavou. This castle has an interesting history and is also worth visiting. Both castles demonstrate the importance of the Sázava River as a strategic trade artery in medieval Bohemia.
