Vikštejn Castle

Today, only the remains of the walls and half-collapsed stone arches remind us of the former glory of Vikštejn Castle. Its history is turbulent, Jan Amos Komenský stayed here when he left Fulnek after the White Mountain and hid in various places in Moravia before going into exile.

The castle on the steep hill above the bend of the Moravice River was built in the 14th century by Vítek of Kravaře. Like many other castles and fortresses in Moravia, it was damaged by the fighting between the Czech King George of Poděbrady and the Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus. During the Thirty Years’ War, the castle was conquered by the Swedes and the Danes, but then the imperial army occupied it for a change and “for preventive reasons”, i.e. to prevent the castle from becoming a bastion of enemies again in the future, the imperial troops blew up the castle.

Today, the ruins of the castle are preserved so that the walls will not crumble further and will continue to be a romantic place for excursions with an amazing view of the landscape of the Low Jeseník and the Moravice River. Vikštejn is one of the most interesting places in Opava Silesia and a climb to it can be combined with a visit to the nearby town of Vítkov.