Veliš Castle, Castle ruin in Podhradí, Czech Republic

Veliš Castle is a ruin on a basalt hill above the village of Veliš near Jičín, in the cadastre of Podhradí. Only small remnants of the walls of the bastions, the tower and the western palace survive, fused to the basalt bedrock, along with faint traces of access paths and a terraced southern summit.

A royal castle probably founded by Wenceslaus II, Veliš was first documented in 1316. It passed through many owners, including John of Luxembourg, the Vartenberks, George of Poděbrady, Albrecht of Wallenstein and the Šliks. From 1500 the Basel Compacts were kept here for a century. Vilém Trčka of Lípa made the last building alterations at the end of the 16th century. After an unsuccessful Swedish siege during the Thirty Years' War, the castle was demolished by imperial order in 1658.

The castle's name comes from the hill above the village of Veliš. From 1500 the Basel Compacts, the Hussite religious agreements, were kept here for a hundred years, making the castle a storage place for one of Bohemia's key Reformation documents.

The site is accessible by a marked hiking trail starting from Podhradí, which is easily reached from Jičín. Wear sturdy footwear since the hill is steep and the ruins create uneven ground to navigate.

The castle's appearance is known from old drawings made after it had already ceased to exist; one shows a great prismatic tower with a saddle roof and battlements at the centre, flanked by two palaces and a chapel. Only fragments of the bastions, tower and western palace survive, bound to the basalt bedrock.