Nový hrad u Kunratic, Gothic castle ruin in Kunratický les, Czech Republic

Nový hrad u Kunratic is a ruin of a Gothic royal castle on a wooded promontory above the Kunratice stream. Two palaces, a square tower and two entrance gates once stood here; today only low remnants of the rectangular palace walls and the tower survive, built of irregular grey, tan and ochre stone blocks with small dark openings and a broken top edge.

King Václav IV commissioned the construction of this castle in 1411, yet it lost importance after his death in 1419. By 1421, Prague citizens captured and burned the stronghold.

Since 1934 the annual cross-country race Velká kunratická has run through the ruin; racers call it Hrádek and regard the climb from the Kunratice stream as the hardest point of the course. A chapel of St John of Nepomuk stood in the ruins from 1735 to the end of the 18th century.

The ruins are accessible year-round by following marked trails through the forest and entry is free. Wear comfortable shoes since the path goes through wooded terrain.

The castle had two palaces, a square tower with two entrance gates, and an unfortified outer ward cut off by a wall and ditch. Traces of Hussite siege ramparts from the 1420–1421 siege remain visible in the outer ward. A stone fireplace cornice found here is displayed in the Lapidarium of the National Museum.