Landštejn Castle

Landštejn Castle ranks among the oldest fortresses in the Czech Republic — a 13th-century Romanesque stronghold standing above Staré Město pod Landštejnem in the Jindřichův Hradec district of the South Bohemian Region. What survives today is a ruin, but its two towering walls and the outline of the upper castle still convey the scale of a fortress once counted as the largest Romanesque castle in the Czech lands.

When was the castle built and by whom?

The earliest written record of Landštejn dates to 1231, though the structure itself is older: its core was raised at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries. Construction is tied to the period after 1222, when the Moravian margrave Vladislav died and King Přemysl Otakar I took charge of administering this part of the country. The result was a Romanesque castle at a time when most nearby strongholds were already being built in the Gothic style. Two large towers, joined by a wall that traces the outline of the upper castle and its courtyard, still stand. The six-story southern tower, fully preserved, remains the dominant feature, with an original gate set into its western wall.

Who owned Landštejn over the centuries?

The Krajíř family held the castle longest — nearly two hundred years — and it was under their rule that Landštejn saw its biggest transformation: the fortifications were reinforced, and Renaissance palaces were built around a pentagonal courtyard. After the death of Zdeněk II Krajíř, his daughter Anna, married into the Roupovský family, sold the castle and its estate in 1579 to the Austrian nobleman Štěpán of Eicink. Twenty years later, a burgher from Jihlava, David Neumayer of Winterberg, bought the property. His son Gottfried sided with the rebellious Bohemian estates, and after their defeat at the Battle of White Mountain, his holdings — Landštejn included — were confiscated. The last private owners were the Austrian counts of Sternbach, who held the castle from 1923 to 1945.

What happened to the castle after the 1771 fire?

Landštejn's fate turned on a single day: 25 August 1771, when a lightning strike set off a devastating fire. The castle was never rebuilt and was left to decay as a romantic ruin for the better part of two centuries. After the Second World War, the site passed into state ownership. A turning point came in 1972, when extensive reconstruction work began on the crumbling masonry — the effort that gave the castle its present-day appearance. Landštejn opened to visitors in 1990.

What can visitors see at Landštejn today?

The castle sits in the region known as Czech Canada, a scenic, sparsely populated stretch of the South Bohemian borderland. Visitors can climb the six-story southern tower, pass through the original gate set into its western wall, trace the outline of the upper castle and courtyard, and view the remains of the Renaissance palaces the Krajíř family built around the pentagonal courtyard. Because the ruin is well preserved but not fully rebuilt, it's possible to read the castle's construction phases directly in the stonework — from the Romanesque core to the later, more ornate wings.

Frequently asked questions

How old is Landštejn Castle? Its core dates to the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries, with the first written record from 1231 — at the time, it was the largest Romanesque castle in the Czech lands.

Why is the castle a ruin? On 25 August 1771, a lightning strike started a fire that destroyed the castle. It was never rebuilt, and stabilizing reconstruction work only began in 1972.

Who was the last owner of the castle? From 1923 to 1945, Landštejn belonged to the Austrian count family of Sternbach.

Since when has the castle been open to visitors? It opened to the public in 1990, following the conservation work started in 1972.