Helfenburk u Bavorova
“A six-kilometre mountain range covered with trees, called the Mlakava forest, stretches from Skal to Koječín, and on its southernmost promontory, at a height of 687 metres above sea level, stands the mighty and vast ruin of Helfenburk, formerly the strongest castle of the Rožmberk family. Surrounded by a tall coniferous forest, it will appear before the pilgrim only after he has climbed to the top of the mountain, right below the castle, on a comfortable forest path from the Štětínský farm. The mighty mound has been broken in many places, while castle walls have collapsed into the moat and replaced a former drawbridge with a safer passage."

(E. Krásnohorská and Fr.A. Borovský- Při dolní Blanici, Čechy- volume 1-Šumava)


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History and description: the castle was founded by brothers Petr, Jošt, Oldřich and Jan of Rožmberk. The construction started in 1355. Helfenburk is a nobleman's castle, originally consisting of three parts, with two palaces. The castle has undergone several modifications as its defences were improved. Under Václav Vlček of Čenov, three semi-circular bastions with flat ceilings were added to the castle. The castle was never conquered and was mentioned as neglected in 1592, when it was sold to the town of Prachatice.

What you will find on the site: moats, outer walls with traces of battlements, outer bailey, remnants of semi-circular bulwarks, remnants of palaces, a keep, a thin round tower, gates, farmhouses, a cistern.

Some owners: Petr, Jošt, Oldřich and Jan of Rožmberk (the founders of the castle), Jan of Lobkovic, Václav Vlček of Čenov, Jindřich Prušenek of Štetenberg, Petr Vok of Rožmberk, the town of Prachatice, Jan Oldřich of Eggenberg, the Schwarzenberg family.

Access: from Strakonice to Volyně, then take the road to Bavorov and drive through Litochovice, Čepřovice, Jiřetice and Koječín. Some way past Koječín you will see the red tourist track that will take you to the castle, or you may continue on the same road to a path leading to the castle. You can park your car on a meadow by the road. Alternatively, you may take the blue track from Bavorov or Čepřovice.

Environs: to the south, or northeast of Prachatice, the remnants of an unfinished castle lie on the slope of the Osule hill, in the nearby village of Vitějovice you will find the remnants of a fortification of unknown origin, and southwest of Prachatice you can visit the remnants of the Hus castle. To the northeast, you will find remnants of fortresses in Božejovice and Modliškovice and the remnants of a castle in Myšenec. To the west, you will find the remnants of a fortress in Dobrš and to the southwest you can visit the remnants of a castle in Vimperk (a battery tower and the remnants of a gate).

Coordinates: GPS, WGS-84 system: N 49°08.156' ; EO 14°00.438' ; measured at the top of the round eastern tower.

Glossary
  • keep - in Bohemia mostly round, sometimes rectangular and rarely polygonal main tower. Access to the tower was typically from the first floor, and the tower was therefore the last refuge for the defenders and inhabitants of a castle. At peace times, it could be used as a prison - dungeon, or as a warehouse. Castles could have one (usually small or simple castles) or more keeps.
  • moat - part of castle defences that is artificially dug or carved (driven) in a rock, sometimes filled with water; usually the first obstacle that besiegers had to overcome. A moat was often combined with other defences - outer walls and a mound.
  • mound - part of fortification built usually from a heap of clay and material obtained from the construction of a moat. Mounds were often fortified by inner frames and supplemented with palisades (fortification from wooden poles stuck in the ground as a protective fence) or the Polish fence (a type of palisade).
  • outer walls - made from various materials, at castles typically from quarry stone or hewed stone. A part of fortification - wall - protecting a certain area. The thickness of outer walls differed (at first the average was about two metres). With the development of artillery, walls were either made thicker or fortified by other defensive elements. Wall-walks - defensive paths on top of outer walls - were an inseparable part of outer walls.
  • outer bailey - an area between the upper main and lower outer walls which secured smooth movement of defenders along the whole length of fortification.
  • palace - typically the part of a castle that was residential and representative; it could be part of the defence system or play other roles. The character and appearance of palaces often bore witness to the owner’s social position. In the course of time, palaces underwent many construction changes reflecting various development stages and fashion trends.
  • bulwark - a defensive work built either outside a castle or as part of a castle, strengthening the fortification (outer walls, an allure, etc.) Bulwarks were either masonry or earthwork, open or closed, semi-circular, right-angled or polygonal. Bulwarks were a device of so-called active defence.
  • battlement - a narrow wall at the edge and on top of a wall or tower with alternating low portions (crenels) and high portions (merlons)
  • cistern - a surface water tank, usually hewed out in a rock, sometimes artificially walled