Castle Libštejn, Gothic castle ruin in Liblín, Czech Republic

Libštejn is a Gothic castle ruin on a hill above the right bank of the Berounka, at 300 metres elevation. Its core consisted of two parallel palas buildings forming a small elongated courtyard, each closed at the short ends by a square residential tower; of the second tower only a tall splinter of masonry remains, alongside collapsed walls that hint at the original size.

Oldřich Tista z Hedčan founded the castle between 1356 and 1367; it is first documented in 1367. In 1430 Hussites besieged it for seven weeks, and Bedřich and Hanuš of Kolovrat then joined their side. By 1590 it was recorded as deserted, and the Thirty Years' War completed its ruin.

The castle name appears in records from 1367 as Libstein, later as Libenstein and Libsstayn. A castle chapel is documented in the 15th century, where Beneš of Kolovrat had Catholic masses celebrated despite the papal interdict of 1467.

The ruin is freely accessible at any time, with no gate or ticket office. It stands on a hill above the right bank of the Berounka at 300 m, about 6.5 km northwest of Radnice and 10 km southeast of Kralovice.

The castle was built between three higher peaks, a militarily unfavourable choice explained by the stable reign of Charles IV. From the second of the original two towers only a tall splinter of masonry survives, while collapsed walls still hint at the size of the complex.