Ronovec, Gothic castle ruin in Břevnice, Czech Republic

Ronovec is a castle ruin in Břevnice with visible foundations and walls from the medieval period. The structure demonstrates Gothic building techniques using local stone materials adapted to the hillside location.

Smil of Lichtenburk founded the castle in the early second half of the 13th century; a charter he issued there on 1 April 1262 is its first written mention. It probably served as an administrative centre for a silver-rich region. In 1345 Hynek of Lichtenburk exchanged it with King John of Luxembourg for Poděbrady Castle, and it passed to the lords of Lipá. It was recorded as deserted in 1544.

The name Ronovec likely comes from the heraldic ostrve (a knotted club) of the lords of Lipá, called Die Ronne in old German; before that the castle was known as Sommerburg or Žumburg. Regional chronicles say the sons of Ješek, Jan and Petr, ran up debts and may have struck counterfeit coins at the castle. A memorial plaque to Josef Čapek, who founded the local history circle for Ronovec in the 1950s, was unveiled inside the palace on 9 October 1988.

The ruins are accessible via marked hiking trails through the surrounding countryside, offering views across the landscape. Wear sturdy footwear since the ground is uneven and some sections of the ruins show weathering.

Among the finds at the ruin are riveted metal-plate doors, of which only a few examples survive in the Czech Republic, and a mushroom-shaped guard from a bladed weapon. Such guards appear mostly at sites abandoned around the start of the Hussite wars, hinting that Ronovec's decline may be linked to them.