Valečov Castle

The ruin is located on the southwestern edge of the Bohemian Paradise not far from the R10 Praha-Liberec expressway. It can only be reached on foot. A parking lot is located only a few hundred meters below the castle.

The first written mention of the castle dates from the years 1316 to 1318. The building initially consisted mainly of wood; later, many rooms were built directly into the sandstone rocks. In the middle of the 15th century, Vaněk von Valečov, an official of King George of Podiebrad, expanded Valečov into a strongly fortified defensive complex, which survived the invasion of the Lusatian army in 1468 unscathed. After several changes of ownership, the dominion was confiscated in 1623 and passed into the possession of Wallenstein, who, however, sold it as early as 1625 to the provincial governor of Friedland. In 1652, Valečov was bought back by the Waldstein family, but after the Thirty Years' War, the castle was already in decay and served as a settlement for the poor and a source of building material for the surrounding villages. The last inhabitants had to leave the rock dwellings in 1892. The castle ruin has belonged to the municipality of Boseň since 1994 and can be visited for a fee.