The original castle was neither large nor important. It was founded in the first half of the 14th century by the family of Valdštejn. In 1390, along with the village of Vysoké it was moved to the hands of the Vartemberk and later Jenštejn family. Around 1460, after a short period of being in the hands of King Jiří of Poděbrady, the castle was connected to Návarov. From 1519 the castle is mentioned as deserted, probably after a fire.
The castle is a pleasant destination for lovers of romantic and mysterious localities. During archaeological research, relics of an extraordinary large furnace were discovered – from which, by the way, the name of the castle was derived (in old Czech, the furnace mouth was called the nístěj). A part of the excavation findings is shown in the Krkonoše Museum in Vysoké nad Jizerou.
http://cesky-raj.info/

Nístějka Castle

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The chateau in Jilemnice originates from the 16th century; it was built by the Křinecký family of Ronov.Then the property was inherited by the Harants of Polžice and Bezdružice. In 1701 the chateau was bought by the active noble family of Harrach, who enlarged the chateau (1714, 1895) and gave it its present look. During the Second World War their assets were confiscated and after the war the building and the lands were in the possession of Czechoslovak authorities. At present, the chateau is the residence of the Krkonoše Museum that was founded by Jáchym Metelka, the Director of the Girls' School, and Jan Buchar, a teacher (the exhibits come from the collections for the Czechoslovak Ethnographic Exhibition in 1891.
The museum displays rarities, such as Metelka's mechanical sound crib (1883 - 1913) or the finest linen yarn in the world. There are magnificent fully grown trees in the adjacent park, including a robust linden tree aged 250 years, the oldest tree in the town. Opposite the main gate to the park, there is a monument dedicated to František Pošepný, the world-famous geologist. The main entrance into the park is from Kostelní Street.
http://cesky-raj.info/

Jilemnice Chateau

The castle was founded in the second half of the 14th century; however, there are no reliable sources to identify the founder. Under the rule of King Jiří of Poděbrady, for a short time the castle was in his possession. In 1469 it was - at that time owned by the family of Zajíc of Házmburk - besieged and conquered by royal troops. Another occupation, this time by Swedish soldiers, came during the Thirty Years War. The fact that the victorious Swedish operating from the occupied Návarov were causing a lot of damage in the surrounding areas made the Emperor Ferdinand III send his troops, conquer the castle and destroy it - which was in 1644.
Although the history of Návarov as a fortified residence was brought to its end, the proprietary rights were often transferred. The domain was successively owned by members of important noble families of Smiřický, Valdštejn and Lamotte.
The dilapidated building became the source of material for construction of a new construction in the Baroque style. The basic core of the castle consists of two - still visible - complex structures that are divided by two ditches in the front part of the castle premises, fortified with a face wall with with two semi-circular bastions.
The valley of the Kamenice River and the ruin of the Návarov are made accessible from the red trail (Palackého Stezka) marked from Podspálov to Tanvald.
http://cesky-raj.info/

Návarov Castle

When he died, the construction work was completed in 1582, on the order of his widow, Marie of Martinice. There were two storeys, the first was made of stone and the second was wooden, with galleries and a spiral at the top of the roof. The chateau was decorated with sgraffito and signs. During the Thirty Years War the building was seriously damaged and the upper floor was burnt out. During the repair work, the signs and the decorations were covered with plaster. In 1868 Count Jan of Harrach had the plaster removed but only a part of the former decorations were saved. In 1994 the facade was restored.
A part of the exposition in the chateau is dedicated to J. A. Komenský, who stayed there for several months before he left the country in 1628.
http://cesky-raj.info/

Horní Branná Chateau

The picturesque Renaissance chateau surrounded with a park is a natural centre of Vrchlabí.
It was built in the place of an originally Gothic fort by Kryštof Gendorf, an entrepreneur in mining industry in the mid 16th century. The chateau is surrounded by a moat with three falling bridges. The moat was filled up at the beginning of the 19th century. All four corners of the chateau have distinctive octagonal towers with onion-shaped domes. The chateau is completed with a natural landscaped park with exotic tree species and artificial lakes. There is a marked trail that will take you around the park.
As regards the interiors, only the lounge is open to the public and the other rooms area used by the City Authority. The park is open.
http://liberecky-kraj.cz/

Vrchlabí Chateau

Originally it was a fortress with a simple Renaissance look, which was built by Jan Stráník, whose father bought Studenec in 1584. The fortress was first mentioned in 1623, when it was bought by Albrecht von Wallenstein. Later the building was rebuilt in Baroque style with offices and flats for officials. In 1833, Charles Berger from Bergental rebuilt and extended the fort, modified the interiors and built the southwest wing in pseudo- Renaissance form. After these renovations, the chateau has remained preserved to this day.
https://czecot.com/

Studenec Chateau

A Baroque chateau from the 18th century, rebuilt from the Renaissance Valdštejn chateau on the site of a former Gothic fort by the Counts of Morzin.
There are no typical guided tours but occasional exhibitions and a cycle of cultural events called “Léto na zámku” – Summer at the Chateau are held here.
The chateau in Lomnice nad Popelkou was built in the 16th century on the site of the original fort from the 13th century. In the years 1730 – 1737 it underwent Baroque reconstruction and later on other alterations.
It is a single-storey building with three wings whose side wing adjacent to the square is highlighted by a mansard roof and a rather indented Baroque façade. During the years 2009 – 2010 the chateau underwent reconstruction, and in October 2010 was re-opened.
The Municipal library and Culture and information centre of the town of Lomnice nad Popelkou resides in the building and is at the same time its administrator.
http://liberecky-kraj.cz/

Lomnice nad Popelkou Chateau

The castle was built shortly before 1250 by members of the Markwartic family. The first owner cited was Jaroslav of Hrutwice, today Hruštice, who built the castle for his son Vok of Rotštejn. For his second son, Zdeněk, he built Valdštejn Castle and became the founder of the Waldstein family.
In 1360 the castle was in the possession of Ješek of Rotštejn, who obtained permission from Charles IV to hold a weekly market in the nearby village of Klokočí. In the year 1415, the Rotštejn family died out and the whole estate fell to Andrew and Vanek Paldrovi Varina, who owned the entire estate throughout the Hussite Wars. The castle was probably burned by the Hussites, unlike other neighboring castles, such as Návarov Castle. According to other sources, the castle was conquered in 1426, but its landlord lived on a farm in the nearby village of Klokočí. Hussite presence at the castle is not confirmed by archaeological findings and written sources. In a later written mention of the castle in 1540, it is reported as abandoned, with the rocks and walls demolished in the courtyard.
To further contributed to the destruction of the castle was the natural erosion of the sandstone rocks. In a report of 1514 the castle was considered abandoned with walls and rocks warped in the courtyard. During the Thirty Years' War in the beginning of the 17th century, this place was used to shelter people from the soldiers. Residents were hiding in cavities carved into the sandstone rocks that were mistakenly considered part of the castle stables.

Rotštejn Castle

Zbirohy Castle used to rise high above the Jizera River near the village of Rakousy, at the point where the river had formed a large turn. Zbirohy is one of the few noble constructions of this type built under the rule of King Wenceslas IV. In his time, the trend in Czech castle architecture was comfort, which is reflected in the look of Zbirohy Castle.
The remnants of the walls and cellars show that the castle was not very large and that it was always dominated by the nearby Hrubý Rohozec. What is still preserved is the relics of the walls (up to 10 m high) and the cellars (in part carved in the rocks). At the entrance you will come across the ruin of a bastion and there is a water reservoir near the former palace.
http://cesky-raj.info/

Zbirohy Castle

Frýdštejn was constructed during 14th century (exact date is not known). It is mentioned for the first time in a church source from 1385. Being owned by a Catholic it was besieged by Hussites in August 1432 but its lord had agreed to cease hostilities and later joined the Hussites. The castle had changed owners several times. After a sale in 1556 it lost its function as a watchtower and at the end of 16th century it was no longer inhabited. During the Thirty Years' War marauders, deserters, and fugitives of every kind found shelter here.
The whereabouts of the original entrance into the castle is not known. It is believed to be on the right of the tower through the ground floor of the palace itself, a castle lord's residence. Today's entrance was built in modern times.
The public has been allowed to visit the ruins since the 1890s, when the Turnov Adornment Club bought it from the Prince of Rohan, who lived in Sychrov Castle. The club had the conserved masonry reinforced. Archaeological findings from this period are available in the Turnov Museum. Today the castle is owned by the village Frýdštejn, which preserves its current state.

Frýdštejn Castle

Because of massive renovation work, we do not know much about the original look of the castle. At the northeastern side, there are remnants of probably a walled fortification that may have been developed along the whole core structure. The fortification to protect against cannon attack is one of the best examples of the efforts made in the mid 15th century to protect places in an active way. From 1621 Kumburk was in the possession of Albrecht of Valdštejn. After his death, the castle changed hands several times and then, after 1658, Kumburk was nearly destroyed. In spite of that, nowadays it belongs among our most interesting castles.
http://cesky-raj.info/