Pařez Castle, Rock castle in Pařezská Lhota, Czech Republic

Pařez Castle is a Gothic fortress built atop a sandstone outcrop within dense forest, featuring chambers carved directly into the rock and connected by stone staircases. The structure merges hewn rooms with natural rock formations to create a unified defensive work.

Pařez was founded at the end of the 14th century; the first written mention dates from 1403, when Jan z Pařezu held it. By 1430, when it belonged to Ctibor z Pařezu, it was already a ruin. A stone bombard ball found at the site supports the theory that it was taken by the Hussites, possibly in 1424.

Locals also call the ruin Husí nůžka, "goose leg", and Matoušův hrad. The name Pařez means "tree stump". After the castle fell, its remains were occupied by bandits, who were caught and killed by local forces between 1440 and 1442.

The ruin stands by the road from Pařezská Lhota to Blata, which carries cycling route No. 14; a green-marked hiking trail leads up from Pařezská Lhota, and the red trail from Prachov through the Prachovské skály to Mladějov passes nearby. The site is freely accessible.

A stone ball from a bombarda found at the castle supports the theory that Pařez was violently destroyed during the Hussite Wars, possibly in 1424. The site also yielded a ceramic rattle and a four-lobed lid knob.