Velešín - Castle

Velešín Castle is located east of the town of the same name, in a convenient location on a rocky ridge in a bend of the Malše River. The origins of the castle date back to the first half of the 13th century, when the Czech ruler was building his strongholds in southern Bohemia against the growing power of the Vítkovci family – the builder was either Přemysl I Otakar or his son Václav I. The core of the castle was protected by a massive round tower and included a Romanesque single-nave chapel reflecting Austrian influences. Wenceslas I transferred the castle to the nobleman Čéče of Budějovice, but it subsequently returned to royal hands, and its ownership by the sovereign finally ended in 1283, when Velešín was acquired by the lords of Michalovice. Later, it became part of the extensive Rožmberk domain. The last mentioned burgrave is mentioned in 1487, shortly after which Velešín Castle was abandoned and is mentioned as deserted in 1541. Part of the masonry was dismantled as a source of building stone. In the second half of the 20th century, two archaeological excavations took place here, and the castle was inaccessible for a long time due to the Římov reservoir. Today, Velešín is cared for by the Hrady na Malši association and is part of the Zemská cesta tourist project.