Castle Starý Herštejn, Medieval castle ruin in Vranov, Czech Republic.

Castle Starý Herštejn is a castle ruin on the 878 m high hill of the same name above the Pivoňka spring in the Český les, within the Starý Hirštejn nature reserve. The core stood on a narrow rock with round towers at both ends; the partially preserved bergfrit on the entrance side was completed in 2020 with a spiral staircase and an observation platform reached by a small footbridge. Remains of the rampart, ditches and gate survive in the outer bailey.

The fortress was built during the medieval period to serve as a defensive stronghold for the region. Over the centuries, it gradually fell into decline until only the ruins that visitors see today remained.

The ruins embody the region's medieval past and remain a tangible connection to how fortified structures once shaped the landscape. Locals and visitors use the site today as a place to understand the area's architectural roots and its role in broader Czech history.

A red-marked trail leads from Vranovské sedlo to the summit: 1.2 km of stony forest path with about 120 m of ascent. The repaired bergfrit is reached by a small footbridge and has a spiral staircase up to an observation platform.

A legend recorded in German sources says the castle was founded in 797 by the Frisian knight Ratibold von Egmont, who found his lost wife Elsa nourished by a white doe; the nearby reunion site was called Elsenberg, from which the name of the Liesa or Lissaberg (Lysá hora) is said to derive.