Radyně Castle, Gothic castle ruin on Radyně hill, Starý Plzenec, Czech Republic
Radyně Castle is a Gothic ruin on a rocky hill (567 m) south of Starý Plzenec. Two tall adjoining walls of rough grey and brown stone meet at an inner corner; the left wall has three tall pointed-arch windows above a ledge, the right wall a small arched doorway. A massive stone tower with a projecting wooden gallery stands on the slope.
Charles IV founded the castle before 1361 as Karlskrone, and it was completed by 3 July 1361, when he exempted Starý Plzenec's inhabitants from labour dues in a charter issued at Karlštejn. It remained royal property until 1400, when Wenceslaus IV first pledged it. It burned down in the first half of the 16th century and was recorded as deserted in 1558.
Inside the surviving tower, a small exhibition presents stories from the region and shows how life was organized in this part of Bohemia over the centuries. The displays are straightforward and easy to follow, even for visitors with little background in local history.
The hilltop is reached on foot from Starý Plzenec; the tower itself is open to visitors and holds a permanent exhibition on the castle's history. The ruin stands at 567 metres on a buližník (siliceous rock) hill of the Švihov Highlands, so the climb is steady and the exposed walls give little shelter in rain.
The image of the ruin appears on the stage curtain of Pilsen Theater, painted by Augustin Němejc between 1899 and 1902. This made the castle one of the most recognized visual symbols of the region long before tourism played any role here.
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