Egerberk, Gothic castle ruins near Lestkov, Czech Republic

Egerberk is a ruined castle on a spur of Černý vrch at 548 m above Lestkov. Its two palaces, a trapezoidal main palace and a semicircular tower-palace, were rebuilt by Jindřich Škopek z Dubé in the 1380s without a bergfried; the main palace survives nearly to full height.

The castle was first recorded in 1317 when it belonged to Wilhelm, a companion of John of Luxembourg. Over the following centuries, ownership passed between various Bohemian noble families, including the House of Šumburk and the House of Škopek.

The castle's German name Egerberg derives from the German name for the Ohře river, Eger, while the Czech name Lestkov comes from the village below. A carved rock cistern in the saddle before the castle is a reminder of the water supply; the hilltop itself lies far above the river.

The ruin stands on a spur of Černý vrch at 548 m, reached on foot from Lestkov; the path climbs through the saddle past a water tank cut into the rock. The core is entered through a small tower with a fan-shaped outer gate, then a bridge over the ditch. Walls are unstable in places.

The two palaces were built without a bergfried, the keep usual in Bohemian castles of the period. At the end of the 15th century the round tower's walls were thickened from two to over four metres against cannon fire from the opposite hill.