Tolštejn

Tolštejn castle (also Kavčí skála) stands above Jiřetín pod Jedlovou. It is one of the most frequently visited monuments in the Lusatian Mountains and also one of the region’s dominant landmarks. From Tolštejn there are beautiful views of the surrounding landscape. 

The castle was built as part of the estate’s military defences in the Zittau region after the death of King Ottokar II of Bohemia. The first owner of the castle was Jindřich of Lipá, followed by the Vaněks of Vartenberk; the castle came into the hands of Hynek Berka of Dubá in around 1400. During the Hussite era the castle first took the side of the Chalice People, although this changed under Albrecht Berka of Dubá, who was a Catholic and an opponent of the Hussite King George of Poděbrady. George of Poděbrady would not stand for this and gave the order for Tolštejn to be conquered in 1443. At the end of the 15th century the castle became the property of the Saxon princes. An important milestone in its history came with Georg of Schleinitz, who took over the estate in the early 16th century. He is also associated with the foundation of the town of Jiřetín pod Jedlovou. However, the 16th century was not a particularly favourable time for castles, as there was not such an active need for them; also, with the rise of the Renaissance the nobility wanted more prestigious places to live, and they began to build chateaus. Tolštejn was abandoned by around 1607. Its last owner had built a grander residence in neighbouring Rumburk. The Thirty Years' War saw the final demise of the castle; it was occupied by the imperial army, but the troops failed to defend it and the castle was burned down by the Swedish general Wrangel in 1642. That was the definitive end to the glory days of the Tolštejn estate.

It wasn’t until the rise of romanticism in the 19th century that people began to take an interest in the ruined Tolštejn castle. In 1865 the castle was leased by Josef Münzberg, who built a Swiss-style tavern there. The tavern was closed down in 1977.