Kožlí, Gothic castle ruin in Tisem, Czech Republic

Kožlí is a castle ruin on a promontory above the confluence of the Tisemský and Janovický streams, at the foot of Chlum hill in the Tisem cadastral area. A deep ditch cut into the rock separated the outer ward from the inner castle, which was reached by a drawbridge through a small gate tower set forward of the wall line. The rectangular core held a gate, a first palace, a courtyard and a second palace, a two-palace layout possibly the oldest of its kind in Bohemia. The best-preserved parts are the south-eastern outer bailey wall and a stretch of the inner wall.

The castle's name first appears in 1318 in the predicate of Ctibor of Kožlí. In 1399 it is recorded as a seat of robbers, and in 1404 Petr of Pětichvost, an ally of Wenceslaus IV, held it. From 1414 the Libún of Dubé family owned it; Beneš (III) fought at Lipany. By 1495 it was listed as a fortress within the Konopiště estate and was abandoned during the 16th century.

The castle's name first appears in 1318 in the predicate of Ctibor of Kožlí. Its owners held the patronage right over the church of St. James in nearby Chvojen, and in 1399 the castle was recorded as a seat of robbers. In 1835 Karel Hynek Mácha visited the ruin during his summer journey through the Sázava region.

The ruin lies on a promontory above the confluence of the Tisemský and Janovický streams, at the foot of Chlum hill in the north-eastern tip of Tisem's cadastral area. The core of the castle is cut off from the forecourt by a deep ditch hewn into the rock, so expect broken ground. The best-preserved parts are the south-eastern parkán wall and a stretch of the inner wall in the same direction; the rest survives mainly as terrain relics.

The rectangular core had two palaces joined by inner walls, which may make Kožlí the earliest example of a two-palace layout in Bohemia. A deep ditch cut into the rock separated the inner castle from the outer bailey, crossed by a drawbridge in a small gate tower.