Skály, Castle ruin near Teplice nad Metují, Czech Republic

Skály is a ruin of a castle built into a sandstone rock town on the southern edge of the Teplické skály. Its core stood on the eastern side, with a large palace attached to the biggest rock tower and another smaller tower fully enclosed; chambers and staircases were cut into the rock. Parts of the stone perimeter wall and a room with a pointed barrel vault survive, along with a partly preserved ditch and outer rampart.

Skály was first mentioned in 1393, when it belonged to Matěj Salava of Lípa. After the Hussite wars, its garrison raided Silesian and Lusatian towns, so in 1447 the Silesians bought and demolished the castle. It was soon rebuilt, and in 1513 it withstood a siege by two thousand men under Duke Frederick II of Legnica.

The castle's names record its owners: Kočka gave rise to Kočkův hrad, translated as Katzenstein, and in 1662 Bishop Matouš Ferdinand Sobek of Bílenberk renamed it Bischofstein. Alois Jirásek set his novels Skály and Skaláci in the castle and the settlement below it.

You can reach the ruins by following marked hiking trails from the nearby village of Skály, with free access available year-round. The paths can be steep in places and require sturdy footwear, especially after wet weather.

The walls merge so seamlessly with the rock that it becomes hard to distinguish where human construction ends and natural stone begins. Many visitors only notice upon closer inspection which parts were deliberately shaped.