Helfštýn

Helfštýn is one of the largest castle ruins in the Czech Republic, spreading across a wooded ridge above the village of Týn nad Bečvou, close to Lipník nad Bečvou in the Přerov district. Its position above the Bečva river once let it control passage through the Moravian Gate, the natural corridor linking Moravia with Silesia and Poland.

Who founded the castle, and who owned it over the centuries?

Helfštýn was established at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries by Friedrich (Friduš) of Linava, a Silesian nobleman who seized part of the estates belonging to the House of Drahotuše and built a small, oval-shaped stronghold on the highest point of the ridge, protected by steep slopes on every side. Around 1320 the castle passed to Vok of Kravař, and the Kravař family kept it for more than a hundred years, using that time to expand and rebuild it substantially.

Ownership then moved through several Moravian noble families, including the Sovinec, Kostka of Postupice, Ludanice, and Bruntálský of Vrbno lines. The most decisive chapter came under the Pernštejn family in the late 15th century, when the castle underwent extensive late Gothic and Renaissance rebuilding — the work that gave Helfštýn much of the scale still visible today. After the confiscations that followed the Battle of White Mountain in 1621, the estate went to the Dietrichstein family and later became tied to Lipník. As its military and administrative role faded, the castle was gradually abandoned, leaving the roofless walls, towers, and courtyards that visitors walk through now.

Why does the castle turn into an open-air forge once a year?

Since 1982, Helfštýn has hosted Hefaiston, an international symposium of artistic blacksmithing held every year on the last weekend of August. The name honors Hephaestus, the Greek god of fire and metalworking. The first gathering brought together just eighteen master smiths; today the event ranks among the largest and most respected blacksmithing festivals in Europe, filling the castle's courtyards and walls with a temporary open-air gallery of forged sculpture while smiths demonstrate their craft live.

What can visitors actually see at the castle today?

The state owns Helfštýn, and it is open to the public during the summer tourist season. Visitors can walk among the surviving defensive walls, bastions, and remnants of residential buildings, climb to viewpoints overlooking the Moravian Gate and the Přerov area, and take in exhibitions on the castle's history and its long-running blacksmithing tradition, which stays present well beyond the Hefaiston weekend. The sheer scale of the ruins combined with the scenic hilltop setting makes it a popular destination for hikers and cyclists from the surrounding towns.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Helfštýn Castle located? In the village of Týn nad Bečvou, in the Přerov district, near Lipník nad Bečvou.

Who founded the castle? Friedrich (Friduš) of Linava, a Silesian nobleman, at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries.

What is Hefaiston? An international artistic blacksmithing symposium held annually since 1982, on the last weekend of August.

Can the castle be visited today? Yes — it is a state-owned ruin open to tourists during the summer season.

Why is Helfštýn considered one of the largest castles in the Czech Republic? Because of the scale it reached mainly through the late Gothic and Renaissance expansion carried out by the Pernštejn family in the late 15th century.