Little Castle "Vítkův Hrádek"
Location:
The little castle of Vítkův Hrádek is located on the border of
South Bohemia and Austria above the village of Svatý Tomáš that no
longer exists. It is situated to the west of the little town of
Frymburk, on a wooded hill on the right bank of the Vltava
river.
Origin of the Name:
The original Czech name of the castle was "Vítkův Hrádek" (Little
Castle of Vítek - in the German language Wittingshausen). The
German name Wittigstein that was sometimes translated into the
Czech language as "Vítkův Kámen" (Vítek's Stone) was also used.
Today we can find both names of this castle. The name of the castle
proves that its founder was called Vítek, a member of the powerful
South Bohemian aristocratic family of The
Witigonen. According to the context of that period it is
possible that the castle was founded by Vítek from Načeradec,
otherwise from Krumlov, who was mentioned during the years 1220 -
1277.
Architectural and Historical Development:
The main, and the only building in the heart of the castle is a big
residential prismatic tower which is extended on the east by a
lower polygonal reconstructed building with triangular chambers on
its side. The left chamber had its entrance from outside. The big
tower built on the highest point of the hill was of the shape of a
rectangle (13.7 x 17.5 metres) and was built of layered quarry
stones. There was a bay on the west but only two corbels of it were
preserved.
The doors leading to the middle part of the tower were originally accessible over the little draw-bridge of the opposite building. It was built as the entrance gate to the new fortification in the middle of the 16th century. The tower had above the flat-ceiling ground floor, illuminated from sides with five narrow openings, two living floors with lavatories on the west side.
The origin of the new five-sided fortification with walls, bastions and a gate on the east side is dated from the 16th century. In the walls there are broken loopholes with jamb-stones
open inwards. The walls
probably had a wooden wainscoted ceiling for the purpose of
defence. This wooden wainscoted ceiling was not preserved.
During the construction of the radio-telephone network station near the ruins of the little castle of Vítkův Hrádek in 1996 a basement made of quarry stone in mortar was uncovered. It could be remains of the already destroyed barbican.
History of the Castle's Residents:
>From the time the castle was established by Vítek z Krumlova
(1220 - 1272) in the 13th century, it performed the function of a
fortress and an administrative centre of the estates that were part
of the growing dominion of the members of the Witigonen family.
Their estates were spread on the both sides of today's border
between the Czech Republic and Austria. The main part of the castle
was made up by the residential tower built 1,032 metres above the
sea level on a gradual strewn with granite stones, close to the
path from Austria to Bohemia. The Witigonen wanted to ensure safe
ways between their estates in Upper Austria. When the Krumlov
family branch of the Witigonen died out in 1302 then Henrich von
Rosenberg inherited the castle. In the end of the 14th century 15
villages and glass works were joined to this castle. At that time
the castle became one of the places where king Václav IV was jailed
in 1394 during his enforced journey to Austria, because of the
controversy between him and the Czech aristocracy. During the
Hussite wars the castle was owned by the Lords of Walsee but in
1464 Reinprecht from Walsee passed it over to his uncle Jan von
Rosenberg and the little castle of Vítkův Hrádek became the
property of the Rosenbergs again. During the insurrection of the
Czech Estates the castle was captured by force by the revolting
Czech aristocracy but already from 1621 the imperial garrison was
in the castle. In 1622 the castle was passed over to the Eggenbergs
and in 1719 the Schwarzenbergs inherited all the estates of the
Eggenbergs. The little castle of Vítkův Hrádek slowly lost its
function of a border fortification and fell into ruin. The duke's
forester settled down there for a short period but in the middle of
the 18th century the castle was completely deserted. In 1815 stairs
with an observation platform were built in the south-east side of
the castle. During this reconstruction the crown of the tower was
made secure for the last time. The most important reconstruction
was made in 1869. After World War II the whole region of the Svatý
Tomáš village together with the castle became a part of the
military border zone and access was strictly forbidden. In the
fifties the soldiers made an observation post on top of the tower.
Beside the castle that was under the administration and in use of
the Czechoslovak people's army, a new steel tower - a watch-post
was built. At the time a shelter for the sentry was also built. The
representatives of the army passed the castle over to the property
of the Přední Výtoň village in 1990. Until that time the ruins of
the castle were not accessible to the public. Vítkův Hrádek castle
inspired Adalbert
Stifter to write his historical novel entitled "Vítek"
(1865).
Tales and legends:
A story, telling about a family tendency to suicide and about a
human anger, is from the secluded place called Pink Hill. A poor
woodland worker and his many children used to live there. One day
his wife died and they found him hanged in the forest. His brother
thought in the morgue, what a shame on the whole family. He slapped
the face of the dead person. Since that moment he had been
constantly thinking about his dead brother. He was sorry about
doing that and that he did not take care of brother's children.
After certain time he hanged himself in his house. The youngest
brother, lead probably with the family tradition, to show the
curious people how much better he is than his dead family members,
slapped twice the face of the dead person. The malevolent people
put him down and called him names, laughed at his suffering in such
extent that he hung himself on a linden behind the village. None of
those dead persons was allowed to have a grave in consacred land.
All of them were buried without a priest in a lonely place.
In a forest that surrounded the ruins of the little castle Vítkův Hrádek and from the Saint Thomas church people could hear cries and lamentations. A forester who wanted find out what was going on, stayed hidden not far from the church and at midnight he saw a phantom without a head sitting on a stone, wearing priest's habits and saying the words of a mass. When the priest finished his prayer he already had his head with sad face on his shoulders. He saw the forester and he blamed him for interrupting his a hundred years lasting atonement. He atones for he desecrated his mission of a priest because of a woman and he committed suicide. Now as the punishment he has to celebrate a mass in the forest for a thousand nights. On an advice of a parish people from surrounding villages became to pray every day for this lost priest and from that time cries and call from the forest was not heard.
Present use:
The owners of the object, village Přední
Výtoň rented the castle to Civic
Association for Vítkův Hrádek Castle which is concerned in
preserving and stopping of further devastation of Vítkův Hrádek at
Svatý Tomáš and opening it for public as a historical monument.
(zp)
Further information:
Vyšší
Brod and the Thirty years' war
The
Extinct Parish of Rychnůvek
The
Extinct Parish of Kapličky