Perštejn Castle, Castle ruin in Perštejn, Czech Republic

Perštejn Castle is a ruin on a steep rocky spur at 466 metres above the village of Perštejn, about three kilometres west of Klášterec nad Ohří. Large stretches of the outer walls, the palace and the round bergfried survive, with a double ditch and a small gate leading into a narrow zwinger.

Perštejn was founded in the second half of the 13th century, probably by the lords of Šumburk; their relative Boreš of Rýzmburk is also cited. Bedřich of Šumburk is documented as lord of Perštejn in 1338. In 1451 a campaign led by Jakoubek of Vřesovice took the castle, and by 1537 it was described as a ruin.

The castle's older name Borschenstein was linked to Boreš of Rýzmburk, a possible founder mentioned between 1248 and 1276. German sources record it as Pürstein, Pürstenstein, Birsenstein and Pirsinstein, and the village below still bears the Czech form Perštejn.

The ruin stands on a steep rock spur at 466 metres above the village of Perštejn, about three kilometres west of Klášterec nad Ohří. The approach path came from the north, crossing a double ditch into the lower courtyard, where the high western wall survives. The remains of a siege camp with a 95-metre line of fortification lie about 450 metres north of the castle on the ridge below Vysoká.

The fortress incorporates natural rock formations into its defensive system, with steep cliffs serving as barriers on three sides. This use of landscape was a practical strategy in castle construction, reducing the need for additional protective structures.