Trosky Castle

A unique landmark of the picturesque Bohemian Paradise landscape, which has been the center of attention for several millennia. This is the volcanic rock on which the Trosky Castle was built in the 14th century. It has a mysterious, almost unbelievable aura for some — but its greatest secret lies underground: a labyrinth of tunnels...

The surroundings of Trosky have been considered a magical landscape since ancient times. Two massive volcanic rock formations, resembling bull’s horns and later associated with the devil’s horns, captured attention at first glance. The ancient inhabitants of the Czech Basin, the Celts, regarded this place as sacred and revered it as such. Although we lack definitive archaeological evidence, the area around Trosky — and possibly the entire Bohemian Paradise — was a sacred landscape for the Celtic ancestors, playing a significant role in their spiritual life.

For a long time, the underground tunnels were just a part of Trosky’s legends, and their origin is described in a similar spirit: "Hell's minions were enraged when an old man, who had found a spring, revealed to the lord the vast underground spaces full of corridors, cracks, and caves under the castle in the sandstone rocks, considered to be the domain of the devils. ... The lord secretly sent several condemned men into the underground, who began carving tunnels filled with traps. These tunnels were meant for secret supply routes during sieges and served as sources of water from underground ponds." Several reliable reports, both old and modern, confirm that the tunnel is not just the product of medieval fantasy.

Impregnable Fortress and Hidden Treasure

The tunnels were built after 1380 at the initiative of the castle’s first lord, Čeněk of Wartenberg († 1425), who cleverly used the natural terrain to secure the castle’s impregnability. Unfortunately, Čeněk eventually had to surrender the castle. Trosky fell into the hands of knight Otto of Bergov, who soon found a new use for the tunnels. In his lust for wealth, he decided to take advantage of the chaos of the Hussite Wars to raid and plunder the Opatovice Monastery. Although Otto managed to plunder the monastery, he failed to seize a great treasure. Nevertheless, he supposedly hid his considerable loot somewhere in the castle’s underground.

Later, the castle was taken by a band of robbers led by knight Kryštof Šof of Helfenburk, who briefly became the new lord of Trosky. In the summer of 1440, Trosky was besieged, but thanks to secret resupply through the underground tunnels, the defenders held out for three years and ultimately resisted their besiegers. Over the following centuries, the castle changed hands multiple times, and after being captured by imperial forces during the Thirty Years' War, it gradually fell into ruin — and the secret tunnel was slowly forgotten.

Fascinating Discoveries Underground

The underground renaissance of Trosky took place in the 19th century, when several groups of determined explorers tried to penetrate the tunnels leading to the castle. Thanks to these expeditions, several fascinating reports have survived, the most notable one from Dr. Antonín Pařízek, which I quote: "During the research, corridors were wandered through, clearly revealing by their profiles that they were shaped and widened by human hands into tunnel-like forms... Special attention deserves a tunnel that is partly paved with flat sandstone slabs, and where the floor shows a distinct groove for water drainage."

The research led by Dr. Pařízek took place in 1931 and focused on uncovering the tunnel leading from the "Sklepy" cave, located about 500 meters from the castle, hidden among the rocks on a slope, possibly under or even leading to the Maiden Tower (Panna). Dr. Pařízek’s team based their exploration on reports from old chronicles, church records, and various stories from adventurers who had attempted to explore the tunnel. Notably, the famous Czech historian Josef Pekař also suggested exploring Trosky’s underground.

The underground tunnels beneath Trosky are real. Although many attempts have been made to explore them, current efforts are hindered by the closure of the Sklepy cave. Nevertheless, there remains hope that one day the labyrinth of tunnels will be thoroughly explored — and perhaps even lead to the mysterious doors into the castle’s cellars.