Helfenburk, Rock castle ruin in Rašovice, Czech Republic

Helfenburk is a ruin on a sandstone promontory above the Hrádecký důl valley, 3 km from Úštěk. Its tall square tower with a battlemented top and a crenellated wall with a pointed Gothic archway survive; the core was partly cut into the rock.

The castle was first documented in 1374 when Hans of Helfenburg sold it to Archbishop Johann Očko of Wlašim. From that point, ecclesiastical authorities from Prague maintained control of the property as a strategic stronghold.

The two weathered coats of arms set into the castle gate were the clue that identified the ruin: one shows the Lords of Wlašim with two vulture heads, the other the Prague Archbishopric with a horizontal bar. Because of them the castle researcher Friedrich Bernau confirmed the site as Helfenburk, since earlier searches had wrongly expected an elephant, the Helfenburger emblem.

The ruin is open year-round without charge; the tower opens only on weekends when the Hrádek Helfenburk association is present. From Ostré two marked red-circle routes lead up (about 2 km via Ptačí důl, 3 km by the northern path), or a 1.5 km field path on the green trail from Rašovice. There is no refreshment on site and the only drinking water is a spring 0.5 km away.

The well in the bailey was dug 65 m deep and fitted with a treadwheel; a group of tramps later cleared the ruin and recovered the winch shaft, now displayed beside the well. The tower's 143 steps lead to a top floor added in 1887–1890 by Count Josef von Schroll as his summer residence.