Landštejn Castle, Medieval castle ruin in South Bohemia, Czech Republic.
Landštejn Castle is a medieval ruin in South Bohemia with two massive towers connected by a wall forming the upper fortress. The southern tower rises several stories above a fortified courtyard and serves as the most prominent part of the structure.
The castle was founded in 1222 as a strategic fortification at the border between Bohemia, Moravia, and Austria under Přemysl Otakar II. It served as part of the defense system protecting this border region during the medieval period.
The German poet Friedrich Schiller chose the dense forests around this castle as the setting for his play The Robbers. The wooded landscape inspired him to create this theatrical work about rebellion and nature.
The castle is open to visitors year-round and attracts thousands of people annually who come to explore its Romanesque architecture. The site is best visited on foot, allowing you to move freely across the ruins.
Excavations beneath the ruins revealed the remains of an older castle structure, indicating an earlier military settlement built by Moravian forces. This discovery shows that the site had military importance even before the current fortress was built.
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