Edelštejn

Edelštejn Castle probably originated at the instigation of a Bohemian ruler as protection for local gold deposits, and it is first documented in writing in 1281, when it was held by the brothers Otta and Oldřich of Linava. In subsequent decades, it changed owners depending on where power shifted in the Silesian borderland – it belonged to the Bishop of Wrocław, to the Luxembourg King John, and to the Opava dukes, to whom Charles the Fourth returned it. The end of its existence was also turbulent: in 1445 it burned down, was rebuilt, and in 1465 it became a Hussite stronghold of Jiří of Poděbrady, before the troops of the Bishop of Wrocław conquered and irrevocably destroyed it in 1467. Since then, it has remained an uninhabited ruin, protected as a cultural monument. According to plans from 1936, the fortified settlement measured approximately 120 by 65 meters and was encircled by a circular moat. In 1904, the ruins were cleared of invasive vegetation, and a tourist path was opened to them, which can still be used to reach the site today.