Helfenburk

A 14th-century castle ruin on a sandstone ridge near Úštěk, once a stronghold of the Prague archbishops — freely accessible, with the tower opened at weekends.

Helfenburk — locally just Hrádek — hides in the woods on a sandstone ridge about 3 km from Úštěk. Built in the first half of the 14th century, probably by the lords of Klinštejn, it was bought in 1375 by the Prague archbishop Jan Očko of Vlašim and enlarged by his successor Jan of Jenštejn into a safe retreat for the archbishopric: a stone palace and chapel on the rock inside a fortification ring some 277 m long, headed by a tower over 17 m tall that still dominates the ruin.

The site is freely accessible year-round; at weekends, when the local association is on site, the tower is open too, with views over the wooded country towards Úštěk and the České středohoří. There is no water at the castle — the nearest source is the covered Krásná Studánka spring with a rest shelter on the yellow trail towards Úštěk, in the Hrádecký stream valley.