The ruins of Žumberk Castle ( cs, Hrad Žumberk, german: Burg Sonnenberg) are located next to the market town of

Žumberk Žumberk (german: Sonnenberg) is a market town in Chrudim District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 300 inhabitants. Administrative parts Hamlets of Částkov and Prostějov are administrative parts of Žumberk. Sights ...

in the

Pardubice Region Pardubice Region ( cs, Pardubický kraj; , ; pl, Kraj pardubicki) is an administrative unit ( cs, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located mainly in the eastern part of its historical region of Bohemia, with a small part in northwestern Moravia. It ...

of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

History

The castle was probably built during the end of the 13th century, on a hilltop above the village, and was known under the German name ''Sunenberg'' (or Sonnenberg, later Sommerberg), which means sun (German = Sonne) mountain (or later namend summer (German = Sommer) mountain).Antonín Profous: Místní jména v Čechách : Jejich vznik, původ, význam a změny. Bd. I.-III., Česká akademie věd a umění, Praha Its walls formed a

pentagon In geometry, a pentagon (from the Greek πέντε ''pente'' meaning ''five'' and γωνία ''gonia'' meaning ''angle'') is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be simpl ...

and were surrounded by a deep

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

, with a service yard was placed next to the castle. Later, a township grew up under the hill. The first known owner of the castle and neighbouring villages was a robber knight; ownership of the castle changed many times afterwards. At the beginning of the 18th century, the castle was not inhabited, though during 1760–70 a physician lived there. The castle became desolate and was left to be a source of construction material. During 1926–48 the castle was owned by the Club of Czech Tourists, and its structure was stabilized to prevent further destruction. Today the market town of

is responsible for its maintenance, and access to the castle is unlimited and free.

References

* August Sedláček, "Hrady, zámky a tvrze Království českého", 1882, volume I

External links

Description of the castle, photos
(in Czech)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zumberk Castle Chrudim District Castles in the Pardubice Region Ruined castles in the Czech Republic