Hněvín () is a castle in Most in the

Ústí nad Labem Region Ústí nad Labem Region or Ústecký Region () is an Regions of the Czech Republic, administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the north-western part of the historical land of Bohemia, and named after the capital, Ústí nad Labem. I ...

of the

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

History

Hněvín Castle was named after the hill it was built upon. Archaeological investigations have uncovered the remains of a castle that was there in the 9th century, but a stone castle was probably built by the Hrabišics, the owners of Most, while Wenceslaus I granted Most royal city status in the 12th century, with the castle becoming the seat of the district administrator. In the 13th century, the castle was brought by

Wenceslaus II Wenceslaus II Přemyslid (; ; 27 SeptemberK. Charvátová, ''Václav II. Král český a polský'', Prague 2007, p. 18. 1271 – 21 June 1305) was King of Bohemia (1278–1305), Duke of Cracow (1291–1305), and King of Poland (1296–1305 ...

to the

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

s, in the time of disputes of

Wenceslaus IV Wenceslaus IV (also ''Wenceslas''; ; , 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 was deposed in 1400. As he ...

with aristocracy, the castle came to the

Meissen Meissen ( ), is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden and 75 km (46 mi) west of Bautzen on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, th ...

s. Only in 1406, Wenceslaus gained the castle back. In 1459, the castle was given into the hands of

George of Poděbrady George of Kunštát and Poděbrady (23 April 1420 – 22 March 1471), also known as Poděbrad or Podiebrad (; ), was the sixteenth King of Bohemia, who ruled in 1458–1471. He was a leader of the Hussites, but moderate and tolerant toward the ...

on the basis of the

Cheb Cheb (; ) is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Ohře River. Before the Expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia, expulsion of Germans in 1945, the town was the centre of the G ...

peace contract. The son of George of Poděbrady Jindřich sold the castle in 1480 to Beneš of Veitmile and in 1482 the famous meeting of

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

princess with king Vladislaus II took place in Most. Here it came to settlement of relation

Czechs The Czechs (, ; singular Czech, masculine: ''Čech'' , singular feminine: ''Češka'' ), or the Czech people (), are a West Slavs, West Slavic ethnic group and a nation native to the Czech Republic in Central Europe, who share a common Bohemia ...

and Saxony people from many years. During the reign of

Rudolf II Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the H ...

on his order it was on Most castle Hněvín the alchemists

Edward Kelley Sir Edward Kelley or Kelly, also known as Edward Talbot (; 1 August 1555 – 1597/8), was an English Renaissance occultist and scryer. He is known for working with John Dee in his magical investigations. Besides the professed ability to se ...

and Marek Mamugny. Rudolf ordered to city people to care about them well at the claims of both adventurers caused to city much expense. In 1595 Rudolf II sold the castle to city Most. From rather quiet holding of castle and its remains the Most people enjoyed up to the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

. In 1646

Swedes Swedes (), or Swedish people, are an ethnic group native to Sweden, who share a common ancestry, Culture of Sweden, culture, History of Sweden, history, and Swedish language, language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countries, ...

obtained it by guile and gave to Most people great penalties and charges. For one and a half years, the emperor's army besieged the castle but it remained in the Swedes hands. They also held it after concluding the Westphalian peace. The blame for its unfortunate the Most people gave to the castle which always attracted by its significance the enemies. Emperor Ferdinand II for that reason permitted pulling down the castle, destruction beginning in 1651. The castle mountain desolated, at the foot there were vineyards and gardens. In year 1879 it was stopped the restaurant, in 1889 the tower with outlook which was later destroyed by a great wind. In 1896, it was stated the group of friends of Castle mountain and it was begun with the construction of city with outlook. It was finished in September 1900.

Lookout tower

The lookout tower of the rebuilt Hněvín offers views over the former and current mining areas, the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, as well as over the new town.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hnevin Buildings and structures in Most (city) Castles in the Czech Republic Castles in the Ústí nad Labem Region