Hasištejn (german: Burg Hassenstein) is a ruined
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
castle in
Bohemia, 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 ...
. It is situated near
Kadaň,
Klášterec nad Ohří
Klášterec nad Ohří (; german: Klösterle an der Eger) is a town in Chomutov District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 14,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an ...
and
Chomutov.
The castle, first mentioned in
Maiestas Carolina, was probably founded by Friedrich of
Schönburg to guard the way from
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
to
Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
. The castle was seized by
Václav IV
Wenceslaus IV (also ''Wenceslas''; cs, Václav; german: Wenzel, nicknamed "the Idle"; 26 February 136116 August 1419), also known as Wenceslaus of Luxembourg, was King of Bohemia from 1378 until his death and King of Germany from 1376 until he w ...
of
Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
in the early 15th century and given to Nicholas of
Lobkowicz
The House of Lobkowicz (''Lobkovicové'' in modern Czech, sg. ''z Lobkovic''; ''Lobkowitz'' in German) is a Czech noble family that dates back to the 14th century and is one of the oldest Bohemian noble families. The family also belong to the G ...
.
The most renowned inhabitant of the castle was
Bohuslav Hasištejnský z Lobkovic
Bohuslav Hasištejnský z Lobkovic () (1461 – 11 November 1510) was a Czech nobleman, writer and humanist of old Bohemian family (later the princes) of Lobkovic.
He was born at Hasištejn Castle near Kadaň, Bohemia. He studied in Bologna and ...
, a poet and traveller who was born in Hassenstein and lived there permanently from 1503 to his death in 1510. He gathered a huge library (comprising more than 650 volumes) in the castle, resulting in many scholars and humanists visiting Hasištejn Castle to borrow his books.
Martin Luther
Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...
and
Philipp Melanchthon were among his visitors.
After Bohuslav's death in 1510, Hasištejn Castle began to fall into disrepair, which was exacerbated when it caught fire in 1560. Although the castle is now a ruin, its tower and walls remain standing to this day. While the castle became state property during the Communist regime, it was returned to the Lobkowicz family after 1989.
Chomutov District
Ore Mountains
Castles in the Ústí nad Labem Region
Ruined castles in the Czech Republic
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