Dolní Bělá Castle

On a hill in the village of the same name in the Plzeň Region stand the remains of a once magnificent residence, which underwent a fascinating evolution from a medieval castle to a Renaissance chateau. The original Bělá Castle was founded at the beginning of the fourteenth century by Racek of Bělá, and after his lineage, the Lords of Švamberk and Gutštejn succeeded him here, who extensively rebuilt the residence. The turn of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries brought the castle a reputation as a brigand's base, which led to its confiscation by King Vladislav Jagiellonian. A fundamental transformation into a Renaissance chateau was carried out around 1584 by Kryštof Markvart of Hrádek, thereby imbuing the place with a new, more elegant appearance. However, after the post-White Mountain confiscations and subsequent sale to the Plasy Monastery, the chateau began to decay and was gradually dismantled for building material. Today, what remains are massive earthworks and fragments of masonry, including the torso of a round tower and part of the perimeter wall reinforced with buttresses, which bear witness to its ancient glory.