Divči Kamen

We took our first little trip out of town on Friday to a beautiful ruined castle called Divči Kamen.

We took the train from České Buďejovice to the village of Třisov. Silas was excited to take a ride on Thomas the Tank Engine. So he cried when our train was red and not blue. We convinced him that Thomas had other work and we would be riding on James (thank goodness Lucy knew the names). Although only about 13 km (8 miles) as the crow flies, the train stops at many small villages on its windy route and takes a total of about 45 minutes. It's nice country with wooded hilltops, quaint villages, and streams in the valleys.

From Třisov we hiked the 1.5 km to the castle ruins. This was along a dirt trail, perfect for trail running, but not with a toddler. Silas did a big, Pete Rose style slide. Descending from the ridge opposite the castle, the woods opened and the castle ruins became visible. Kristine shot the photo below where the castle came into view (more photos are available by clicking the link below the photo).

From Divci Kamen

The Gothic style castle was built between 1350-1360. It is nicely situated at the confluence of Křemežský stream with the Vltava River. Sitting on a tall formation of schist, it is constructed from somewhat rough-hewn blocks of the same rock cemented together. I was amazed to learn that it typically held a keeper and nine soldiers only getting a maximum of 24 soldiers during the height of local wars. The castle was abandoned in the early 16th century and went to ruin.

This is one of my favorite places to visit. I would rather go without children and on a moonlit night as there is a certain romantic feeling about the place.

-Peter