Berštejn Private Castle - Horydoly.cz - Outdoor Generation

Private Berštejn

The castle has been leased to Miloš Novák for 99 years since 1972. She takes care of his maintenance and at the same time serves him a bit like a weekend cottage. If a larger group of history lovers gets together, they can try calling him on 721 679 711 and book a tour. But success is not guaranteed. The tenant of the castle cannot be surprised. According to his own words, he has already been robbed five times and even assaulted once.

To this day, there is no passable road leading to Starý Berštejn Castle. Even a hiker has something to do to climb the walls.

A small note about the hill

In 1402, Jindřich Jednooký from Dubé divided the property among many sons. Jindřich Hlaváč bequeathed the village of Vrchovany and the hill above it.

Five centuries later, the historian August Sedláček concludes from the unusual mention of an empty hill above the village that the Berk family intended to build Berštejn during this division.

Because five years later Hlaváč inherited the nearby Jestřebí, it is believed that Berštejn was built during that time.

Berk and Vartenberk

No one knows if this was really the case, but in any case it is clear that Berštejn is one of the very young castles. By then, all the important defensive buildings had already stood for at least a quarter of a millennium.

What was it all about? Berštejn was a castle that completed the existing network of castles. It probably served as the center of a small estate. Historians argue whether it was fought for, whether it was pawned, sold, handed over to the Hussites and then abandoned by force or voluntarily, and who and when built it in the first place and when they abandoned it.

It is certain that in 1567 the castle Nový Berštejn was completed in the plain near Dubé. The funny thing for a layman is that the main roles in its history were played by the Berks and the Vartenberks, i.e. the descendants of the ancient families of the Ronovci (they had crossed cut branches in their coats of arms) and the Markvartici (in addition to the Vartenberks, their descendants were, for example, the Valdštejnovs, the lords of Michalovice, Zvířetic and Lemberka) , relatives, business partners, neighbors and at the same time mortal enemies.

Show yourself from all sides

Every visitor to Máchova jezera, Doks or Dubé is captivated by the dominant Berštejn. It attracts like a magnet. We couldn't resist either.

It would be a shame to drive under the castle, run up and come back. So we planned a trip to see the castle from all sides.

We park the car, or get off the bus, in front of the pub in Vrchovany. Following the yellow sign, we climb through the village to the castle. Exhibition houses and well-maintained log cabins alternate with a devastated school and a dilapidated church.

Inaccessible castle, distant horizons

The castle itself is inaccessible. However, the path along the walls leads to the northern viewing platform and, with a little caution, also to the south. We have a perfect view from the Giant Mountains to Říp.

From Berštejn we descend through the forest to yellow dandelion fields. We climb the steep Šedina hill. Below its peak, a magical view of Říp opens up through the forest.

Still following the yellow sign we go to the Black Gorge, we change it to green to look at the Brandenburg Cave. In 1741, the large rock overhang under Holý vrch served as a refuge for the inhabitants from the marauding Prussian army.

Today it is occupied by tramps. The fireplace and seats can also serve you.

Following the next yellow sign, we go down through the deep carved ravines to Chlum, where the second and last pub in the vicinity of Berštejn is open. Between the fields around the torments of God, we return to Vrchovany.

The trip is just right for the afternoon for vigorous walkers, families should expect to walk all day. The castle is always showing them from new and new sides.

Mountain bike ride

If we were riding mountain bikes, we would extend the route a bit. We would follow the yellow sign already from Dubá. Both large hills, Berštejn and Šedina, can be bypassed on the right. We would return from Chlum along the road via Nový Berštejn.

So we would take a look at both the old and the new Berkov mansion. The castle serves as a hotel and golf is played around it.

In connection with Berštejn, Karel Hynk Mácha and his famous poem Máj cannot be overlooked. He calls Berštejn Pernštejn and clarifies another topography in his diary: "The action of this poem takes place near the town of Hiršberg among the mountains on which the castles of Bezděz, Pernštejn, Houska and in the distance Roll point to the east, west, noon and midnight." He only transferred the historic gallows here from Mladá Boleslav.

To be precise: Hirschberg is the original name for Doksy and Roll is today's Ralsko.

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Horydoly castles and chateaux

Andělská horaBardo (Poland) Bělá pod BezdězemBerštejnBezdězBormio (Italy) Budyšín/Bautzen (Germany) Carcassonne (France) Čachtice (Slovakia) and Čachtická paní (Slovakia) DěvínDobříšDrachenfels (Germany) Ehrenberg Reutte (Austria)Eilean Donan (Scotland)Eltz (Germany)FalkenburkFalkenstein (Austria)Firmian - Sigmundskron (Italy)HazmburkHerštejn StarýHořoviceChillon (Switzerland)ChyšeChoustníkJezeříKácovKadaňKamenice nad LipouKlenováKostelc nad Černý lesy Voklat Kunetica Mountain Chimneys Refrigerator Leontyn Castle Lišno Lužany Moritzburg (Germany) Soap Factory / Kostomlaty Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau (Germany) Nottingham (England) New Castle KunraticeNymburkPeckaPísekPrague CastlePřimdaRábíRadomierzyce (Poland)RalskoReutte (Austria) Skokloster (Sweden)Staatz (Austria)SychrovSionŠvihovTetínTower (England)Trenčín (Slovakia)Vadstena (Sweden)Valdek 1 and Valdek 2ZásadkaZbiroh 1 and Zbiroh 2Zborov ( Slovakia) Beggar

Monasteries and churches

Altenburg: the baroque cosmos of the Benedictines (Austria) Hrušková: St. Nicholas under Krudum Chlum svaté Máří: Assumption of the Virgin Mary Hradiště Monastery Levý Hradec: Church of St. Kliment Münchenreuth (Germany) Oberndorf: Stille Nacht (Austria) Pivoň: Augustinian MonasteryPlasy: Cistercian MonasteryPrague: Rotunda of St. WenceslasStará Boleslav: Church of St. WenceslasRome: Basilica of St. Peter (Vatican)Tachov: SvětceWaldsassen: Nazi fresco in the chapel near Münchenreuth (Germany)