The Kašperk Castle
“Looking at the world from the Kašperk castle, you will stay on the top of things”
The skyline of the highest positioned royal castle in Bohemia (886 m above the
sea level) can be seen from many Bohemian Forest viewing points. The
length of the walking trip from Kašperské Hory to the castle is just
3 km. However, you may get closer by car to a castle parking
located at the distance of 1.5 km from the castle. This way, you will
avoid a significant elevation difference and it is an ideal option in particular
for families with strollers.
The Kašperk castle was built by order of the Czech King and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV in 1356 – 1361. The castle name was chosen to pay tribute to him – the Karlsberg. To guard the Bohemian – Bavarian border, to protect the important gold deposits and secure the important merchants´ trail called the Golden Path. These are the three reasons behind the King Charles IV decision to build the Kašperk castle on the north-east projection of the Ždánov hill.
Hiking tips
The nearby ruin of the Pustý hrádek used to be an advanced fortification of the Kašperk castle that was supposed to protect the Castle from above in case of a military attack. Today, the ruin is a wonderful viewing point from where you can see the whole Bohemian Forest and the castle itself.
The distance between the crossroad at the castle foot and the Pustý hrádek ruin is just 500 m.
