The Potštejn Castle

Looming over a village of an eponymous name are the ruins of the majestic Potštejn Castle. It was founded by the House of Drslavic towards the end of the 13^th century. A century later, rebel knight Nicholas was the lord here, whose raiding rage was brought to an end by the future King Charles IV himself. He also happened to be the only one to have ever conquered the majestic castle throughout its history. Nicholas was believed to have hidden a huge treasure in the castle. This popular myth contributed to the demolition of the entire mansion later in the 18^th century. The then owner of the estate, Count Harbuval Chamaré, was searching for the treasure so hard that he got to a point of almost undermining it. He did not find the treasure, but he became the inspiration for writer Alois Jirásek and his novel The Treasure nonetheless. At present, the castle is owned by the municipality, which takes care of it and has made it accessible to the general public. As part of the site tour, you can see the Chapel of St. John of Nepomuk, an exhibition on the history of the castle staged in the entrance gate and also a "Holy Sepulcher" - the last stop of the Stations of the Cross. It is actually the very Way of the Cross that offers one of the best opportunities to leisurely ascend the castle hill and reach the ruins. Not only theatre aficionados are invited to visit the castle at the beginning of July, when numerous theatrical ensembles benefit from the spectacular set during the traditional Potštejn Theatre Festival event. Come to admire the castle anytime from spring to autumn though, perhaps you will be the lucky one to recover the mythical treasure.

The castle is part of the tourist product Chateaux on the Orlice - the Czech Loire.