Žebrák Castle Ruin, - Central Bohemia Region

The ruin of Žebrák castle is situated in the Beroun district at the edge of the Křivoklát forests. It is named after the village that used to occupy the area beneath the walls about 2 km to the south. Žebrák castle was probably constructed under Oldřich Zajíc of Valdek, a member of the mighty aristocratic family of Buzinec, along the important route that connected Prague with Pilsen and led further to Nuremberg. Under Jan Lucemburský it became a property of the Czech kings. The Luxemburgs took a fancy to this strategic castle. In 1341 the castle was extended and the castle Chapels of Saint Apolinář and Saint Margaret were added. After a fire in 1395 Žebrák was repaired, but it nevertheless  started to lose its popularity at king Václav IV. On the nearby hill he built  Točník, a brand new and much more ostentatious castle, and consequently  stopped visiting Žebrák. The castle´s destruction was speeded up both by fortune seekers and another fire in 1532.

Žebrák used to be a building with aso-called keep, that has been preserved up to today. The keep is a bulky cylindric tower decorated with an illusional nailhead, which serves as an outlook tower nowadays. In addition you can find there a dark dungeon, an old palace with oven and a wall fragment of the well-built palace of Václav IV.