Skalka Castle, Baroque castle ruins in Vlastislav, Czech Republic

Skalka Castle is a ruin in Vlastislav consisting of a medieval keep tower and a baroque structure built side by side. The site shows how the location was rebuilt and expanded over the centuries into two distinct architectural forms.

The castle was first documented in 1357 under Petr of Skalka as a medieval fortress. After the Swedish invasion, a baroque structure was built nearby and shaped the site's appearance as it stands today.

The name Skalka comes from the rock on which the medieval castle was founded. Since 2001 the castle has belonged to the municipality of Vlastislav, which opens exhibitions on the history of Skalka and the surrounding castles and on the Kaplíř of Sulevice family. A linden tree planted at the château in 2001 honours the poet Svatopluk Čech, who wrote parts of his work In the Shade of the Linden there.

The site is accessible on foot with paths leading to the ruins across uneven ground. Visitors should plan for sturdy footwear and take care when exploring the historic structures.

The keep is built of light-coloured marlstone, stands 15.5 metres tall on its basalt rock and was reached only from the palace by a drawbridge; its entrance portal sits about five metres above ground. Inscriptions left by prisoners from 1605 and 1615 survive inside, as it later served as a hunger tower.