Lanšperk Castle, Gothic castle ruin in Lanšperk, Czech Republic.

Lanšperk Castle is a ruin on a steep promontory above the left bank of the Tichá Orlice, about 5 km northeast of Ústí nad Orlicí. Its core is enclosed by a wall preserved on the eastern front, with a palace on the east side of the courtyard and a well in the middle. Two ditches and a rampart cut the access side.

Founded in the mid-13th century during the colonisation of the royal border forest, probably by Vilém of Drnholec or his sons Heřman and Oldřich, the castle passed to the crown and was first mentioned in 1285, when Václav II gave it to Záviš of Falkenštejn. Granted to Zbraslav monastery in 1292 and 1304, it was exchanged in 1358 to the Litomyšl bishopric, taken by the Hussites in 1425 and 1429, and held by the Kostka and Pernštejn families before being recorded as deserted in 1622.

The name Lanšperk comes from the German Landsberg, used in the 1285 charter of King Wenceslaus II and in German sources for the castle and its village. The village below the ruin is documented from the 16th century, and the castle's former farmyard was abolished in 1790, after which subjects built houses on its land.

The site is reached on foot along a path with uneven ground, so sturdy shoes are a good idea before setting off. Once at the top, the elevated position offers open views over the surrounding countryside that make the walk worthwhile.

Even though the castle has been abandoned for a long time, some of the original stone thresholds and door frames are still in place. These small details give a direct hint at how the rooms were once entered and used.