Kokořín
castle · Kokořínsko
The castle of the Kokořínský důl valley — built after 1320, left a "cursed castle" ruin for centuries, and rebuilt 1911–1918 in the first comprehensive rescue of a medieval ruin in Bohemia.
Kokořín is the castle that gave the whole sandstone country its name: built on a rock spur above the Kokořínský důl valley after 1320, probably by Hynek Berka of Dubá, taken by the Hussites in 1426 and in 1544 listed by imperial order among the “cursed castles” that were never to be repaired. What stands today is largely the work of the Špaček family, who bought the ruin in 1896 and rebuilt it 1911–1918 under expert supervision — the first comprehensively conceived rescue of a medieval ruin in Bohemia, and an early monument-care landmark in its own right. The tower view over the wooded canyons is the reward.
The castle is open roughly April to October. The hamlet of Kokořínský Důl below it has restaurants in season, and the valley trails run in every direction through the rock country towards Mšeno and Dubá.
Photos from my visits
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2021-05 · Downhill to the Mělník Vineyards
Hikes passing here
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The Long Way Down Kokořínsko
A long 40.3 km push down the whole length of the Kokořínsko — from Dubá over the plateau and through the Kokořínský důl valley to Mělník.
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Pokličky and the Valley Pubs
A 16.6 km autumn loop through the heart of Kokořínsko — Mšeno, the Pokličky rocks, a legendary village pub and the valley pubs of Kokořínský důl.