Castle Buben, Castle ruin in Plešnice, Czech Republic

Castle Buben is a ruin near Plešnice with preserved stone walls and foundations that reveal the layout of a medieval fortification. The remains sit on elevated ground and show how defensive structures were built during that era.

Castle Buben was probably built in the first third of the 14th century, and it is first documented in 1349 in a charter of King Charles IV. The Chlumčanský family left it in the first half of the 16th century, and in 1567 it was recorded as deserted.

The castle gave its name to two noble families: the Varlichy z Bubna and the counts Bubny z Litic, who still live today. From the mid-16th century their coat of arms showed a military drum, a "speaking" emblem of the name Buben (drum).

The ruin stands on a narrow ridge above the Mže and Plešnický potok, about 4 km west of Město Touškov. Since the collapse of the bastion and adjacent walls on 10 April 2013, rubble blocks the approach from the river, so come from the Plešnice side. The site is freely accessible; the forest now limits the view.

The castle's name passed into the coats of arms of its former owners: from the mid-16th century the Varlichy of Bubna and the Bubna of Litic bore a military drum, a "speaking emblem". Stach Buben of Hrádek already used it around 1400.