Castle Valečov, Rock castle ruin in Boseň, Czech Republic

Castle Valečov is a sandstone fortress ruin built across three rock ridges, combining natural stone carving with constructed defensive walls and towers. The site includes multiple courtyards and chambers carved directly into the rock, creating distinct functional areas within the fortress.

The castle was founded after 1300 by the Valečov family, initially built of wood among the sandstone rocks. Because the family later sided with Jan Žižka, Jindřich z Vartenberka took and burned it in 1439; it was then gradually rebuilt in stone. In the mid-15th century Vaněk z Valečova, an official of King George of Poděbrady, strengthened it, and it withstood the Lusatian army's incursion in 1468.

The name Valečov derives from the Valečov family, who founded the castle after 1300. The extensive rock chambers below the core, originally a winter quarters for Hussite field armies, were later used as dwellings by local poor people until the district authority in Mnichovo Hradiště had them evicted on 5 October 1892.

The ruin is reached only on foot; a car park stands a few hundred metres below it by the road. The red-marked Zlatá stezka Českého ráje trail passes through Valečov and continues to Klamorna and Drábské světničky, while a green-marked route leads to Branžež. The grounds are open in season for an admission fee.

The plateau holds the remains of two separate palaces built on distinct rock blocks rather than a single central structure. This unusual arrangement suggests the fortress housed multiple households or had clearly separated functional zones.