Točník Castle

This impressive castle complex, protected as a cultural monument and, together with neighboring Žebrák, as a national cultural monument, was founded at the end of the fourteenth century by King Wenceslaus IV. Although the fortress successfully withstood a short siege during the Hussite Wars in 1425, later pledge holders from the Kolowrat, Lords of Gutštejn, or Wartenberg families rebuilt it in the Late Gothic style, followed by Renaissance modifications by the Lobkowiczes. After the Thirty Years' War in the seventeenth century, however, the castle was definitively abandoned and turned into a ruin, which today documents the progressive transformation of a medieval residence into a more comfortable chateau. Visitors can admire two partially preserved palaces here – the larger one with space for the second largest castle hall in Bohemia, and the smaller royal palace, which unusually stands on the most vulnerable side and stands out with its numerous escape exits and high-quality architectural details. During visiting hours, the entire complex is open to the public, attracting visitors to the traditional event 'In the Sign of the Chalice' as well as to the castle moat, which has been converted into a bear enclosure. It is home to brown bears Martin and Agáta, who were born on January 13, 2013, in Žatec and starred in the TV series 'Bears on the Road'.