Vargač, Rebuilt castle and former granary in Dobříš, Czech Republic

Vargač is a rebuilt castle on a promontory above the Huťský pond on the eastern edge of Dobříš. Its present form dates from a reconstruction after a fire in 1720, when a large Baroque gable was added and most windows were walled up more than halfway. Two buildings partly survive from the original castle: a smaller structure called the purkrabství with flats, and the palace converted into a granary.

Vargač was probably founded by Margrave Charles, later Charles IV, in the late reign of King John of Luxembourg. It stayed royal until 1422, when Sigismund of Luxembourg pledged it to Bedřich and Hanuš of Kolovrat. Bruno of Mansfeld bought it in 1630 for 40,000 Rhenish guilders; after a fire on 20 May 1720 it was rebuilt as a granary, serving that role until 1949.

The name Vargač, also recorded as Varkač, is said to mean "princely cloak". A local legend tells of Juditka, the daughter of an old key-keeper, who found a black knight playing a lute at midnight in the cellars and received coins and gems from him; the tale survives along with the granary and the Vargačská skála rock.

Vargač stands on a promontory above the Huťský pond by the eastern edge of Dobříš, next to the Dobříš chateau. The building is in private hands and unused since 1989, so it cannot be entered. Its two surviving wings, the smaller purkrabství and the palace converted into a granary, are seen from the path along the pond and from the town side.

The name Vargač (or Varkač) is said to mean "princely cloak". A local legend tells of Juditka, the daughter of an old key keeper, who found a black knight playing a lute in the cellars; he guarded a royal treasure and gave her coins and gems before vanishing forever.