Starý Jičín Castle, Castle ruin in Starý Jičín, Czech Republic

Starý Jičín Castle is a castle ruin set on a wooded hilltop above the village of Starý Jičín in the Czech Republic. Parts of the stone walls have survived, and a reconstructed tower rises above the treeline, making the site easy to spot from the surrounding countryside.

The fortress was founded in the 13th century to control the trade routes passing through this part of Moravia. Over the following centuries it lost its strategic role and fell into ruin, until parts of it were secured and the tower restored in more recent times.

The castle was first called Gyczyn; the name shifted to Jičín and, from 1397, to Starý Jičín to distinguish it from Nový Jičín. The tower houses an exhibition of armour and documents about the castle and the Starý Jičín estate, and a restaurant operates there.

Marked trails lead up from the village, and parking is available at the foot of the hill for those arriving by car. The path rises steadily but is manageable for most people in dry conditions.

The reconstructed tower was not originally built as a lookout, yet on a clear day it offers views stretching across several other hilltop fortresses in the region. This makes it possible to trace, just by looking, the chain of defensive positions that once ran through this part of Moravia.