Kašperk Castle

 castle, interesting place

Kašperk castle was built on the northwestern foothills of the Ždánov Mountains. Its floor plan is 300 m long and oval-shaped. The position of the castle was probably its greatest advantage as the terrain is very steep on both of its longer sides, thereby offering excellent defense.

The castle was founded in 1356 by the Czech King and Roman Emperor Charles IV. There were three good reasons for building the castle at this particular place. First of all, it was necessary to protect the borderline between Bohemia and neighbouring Bavaria. The second reason was the ruler´s desire to defend the gold-bearing area around Kašperské Hory and to ensure safety on a newly established trade route called the “Golden Route”. Finally, it lead through Bohemia and Bavaria to the developed parts of western Europe; one of its branches passed through Kašperské Hory.

www.kasperk.cz/kasperk-history