Žulová Castle

Radogród (the former Frýdberk Castle) is what remains of a medieval stronghold in Žulová, a small town in Czech Silesia in the Jeseník district. Almost nothing of the original fortress survives above ground except its keep, which was later absorbed into the local parish church — an unusual case of a castle surviving disguised as a bell tower.

Who built the castle at Žulová?

The stronghold was raised before 1290, and notably without permission — the land belonged to the Bishopric of Wrocław, not to whoever built on it. The builder and first owner is recorded as a knight named Jan Wustehube, who put up the fortification on church land essentially on his own initiative. This kind of unauthorized castle-building by local lords was not unusual in medieval Silesia, where secular and ecclesiastical authority often overlapped in messy ways.

How did ownership change over time?

After Wustehube, the castle passed to the Haugwitz family, one of the more prominent noble houses in the region at the time. Eventually, in 1358, the Bishop of Wrocław bought the property outright, bringing it back under church control after decades of informal secular possession. From that point on, the castle served as an administrative and defensive seat for the bishopric's holdings in this part of Silesia.

What happened to the castle in later centuries?

During the 16th century the stronghold was remodeled in the Renaissance style, a common fate for medieval castles being converted into more comfortable residences. That period of relative calm did not last. The Thirty Years' War brought heavy damage, and in 1639 the castle was captured and largely destroyed by combined Swedish and Polish forces — one of many Silesian fortifications caught up in the marching armies of that long conflict.

Why is so little of the castle left standing?

After the war, the castle was partly rebuilt, but its old military purpose no longer made sense. In 1703 the building was converted into a brewery, a practical reuse of the walls rather than upkeep of a fortification nobody needed anymore. Over time most of the remaining structures were dismantled or altered so heavily that the original castle became almost unrecognizable.

What can still be seen today?

The one element that survived intact is the castle keep, which was incorporated into the local church and now functions as its tower. Some of the building material salvaged from the demolished castle walls was also used to construct the Church of St. Joseph in Žulová. In this way, a trace of the medieval fortress lives on — not as a ruin standing in a field, but repurposed as part of a working church.

Frequently asked questions

Can visitors see castle ruins in Žulová? Not in the classic sense. The main surviving element is the old keep, now built into the local church, so what remains is an architectural trace within the church rather than freestanding ruins.

Who built the castle in Žulová? According to available records, it was raised before 1290 by a knight named Jan Wustehube, built without the consent of the Bishopric of Wrocław, which formally owned the land.

Why did the castle stop functioning as a fortress? Damage from the Thirty Years' War, especially its capture by Swedish and Polish forces in 1639, sealed its fate as a military site — by 1703 it had been converted into a brewery and lost its defensive role entirely.

What is worth seeing on site today? The main remnant is the tower built into the local church, along with the Church of St. Joseph itself, partly constructed from material salvaged from the demolished castle walls.