Edelštejn, Gothic castle ruin in Zlaté Hory, Czech Republic

Edelštejn is a ruined Silesian castle on the Příčná ridge at 695 m above sea level, about 15 km east of Jeseník near Zlaté Hory. Its plan measured 120 by 65 metres, and it was divided into two parts by a ditch; today fragments of walls, a corner bastion, a round tower, ramparts and moats remain.

Edelštejn is first documented on 2 September 1281, when the robber knights Otta and Oldřich of Linava held it. After Bishop Henry of Wrocław captured it in April 1285 it passed to the Opava princes, and in 1445 it burned; Bolek V had it rebuilt before George of Poděbrady acquired it in 1465. A Wrocław bishop's expedition took and demolished it on 14 July 1467, and it was never restored.

The castle's German name Edelstein means "precious stone", a reference to the gold mines it guarded. The blue hiking trail from Zlaté Hory to Rejvíz passes the ruin, and information boards on site explain the site's layout.

The ruins are accessible via marked hiking paths that start from Zlaté Hory and lead uphill through the surrounding forest. Sturdy footwear is recommended, as the terrain can be uneven and exposed to weather.

The castle plan drawn by Herbert Weinelt in 1936 measured the site at 120 by 65 metres, ringed by circular ditches. In 1944 a teacher named Schubert and a group from Zlaté Hory found nails, arrowheads and hammers under the roots of an uprooted beech; animal teeth and pottery sherds found in 1982 date back to the 13th century.