Vrtba (castle ruins)
| Vrtba | ||
|---|---|---|
 Remains of the Vrtba Castle (February 2013) |
||
| Creation time : | 1313 to 1316 | |
| Castle type : | Hilltop castle | |
| Conservation status: | Castle stable, ditches and remains of walls | |
| Place: | Horní Bělá -Vrtbo | |
| Geographical location | 49 ° 52 '55.4 " N , 13 ° 14' 59.8" E | |
|
||
The ruins of Vrtba Castle (Czech: Zřícenina Vrtba or Hrad Vrtba ) is an abandoned hilltop castle on a conical hill overgrown with stout beeches and oaks immediately south of the Vrtbo district of Horní Bělá (Upper Biela) in the Pilsen-Nord district around 17 km north of Pilsen in the Czech Republic . The small place Vrtbo below the castle was originally also called Vrtba.
history
The castle was built between 1313 and 1316. It was the ancestral seat of the lords and later counts of Vrtba . In 1511 it was owned by the lords of Rabštejn (at the Rabštejn nad Střelou castle near Manětín ) and after 1538 by Sebastian Markvart Hradek. It was inhabited until 1555 when it was abandoned. In 1659 only one courtyard is mentioned, which was surrounded by stone remains of the former castle wall. It does not seem to have been destroyed in the Hussite Wars . Today only trenches and remains of walls can be seen.
investment
The castle was shaped like an irregular pentagon with rounded corners. It was surrounded by a moat that was still clearly visible , some of which was carved into the rock, and a high wall. The entrance to the castle was probably on the north side, where a drawbridge presumably crossed the moat. Remnants of the wall are still in the southeast corner and indicate the dimensions and internal dimensions of two brick buildings.
literature
- Tomáš Durdík : Ilustrovaná encyklopedie Českých hradů. 2nd Edition. Libri, Prague 2000, ISBN 80-7277-003-9 (Czech).
