Potštejn Castle

When you look toward the top of the wooded hill above the Divoká Orlice River, you will see the silhouette of one of the most significant noble residences in eastern Bohemia. This heritage-protected ruin, referred to in historical sources also as Potštýn or, in German, Puttenstein, forms an unmissable landmark of the entire Podorlicko region. The seat became especially famous in the fourteenth century, when the future Czech king Charles the Fourth captured it from the rebellious knight Mikuláš of Potštejn after a fierce siege. Several centuries later, the castle attracted Count Chamaré, whose futile and destructive search for an alleged Templar treasure inspired the writer Alois Jirásek to write the novel Poklad. Today, visitors can walk through the preserved gates, view the castle chapel of Saint John of Nepomuk, and climb to the site of the former palace. From the top, a captivating view opens onto the surrounding Rychnov region countryside, which invites further excursions.