F-716 Bezděz Castle

It was probably in the 1260s that King Přemysl Otakar II used the dominant peak to build a castle to protect the trade route and defend against the expansionism of the houses of Ronow and Markwartinger. After his death, the castle became a prison for his son Wenceslas and for Queen Kunhuta. The regional files and any significant property were stored there during the Hussite Wars. Albrecht von Wallenstein transformed the castle into a fortified monastery in 1627 which was subsequently dissolved by Josef II in 1785. The castle became a ruin at the beginning of the 19th century. It was visited by romantic hikers and by godly pilgrims and is nowadays a destination for ramblers.