Helfstyn Castle

Helfstyn Castle - Hrad Helfštýn, Tyn nad Becvou, Olomouc Region, Czech Republic.

The vast ruins of Helfštýn Castle, dominating the entire Moravian Gate valley, inspired Romantic-era historians as early as the late 18th century to speculate—erroneously—that the castle’s origins lay in the distant past.
Helfštýn Castle (also known as Helfštejn; German: *Helfenstein*) was most likely built during the last quarter of the 13th century by the Silesian nobleman Friduš (Friedrich) of Linava. As a 1349 entry in the Moravian Land Rolls later recorded, Friduš of Linava seized part of the estates belonging to the Lords of Drahotuše in the region—likely during the interregnum following the death of King Ottokar II (Přemysl Otakar II) in 1278—and constructed a small, oval-shaped castle on the highest point of the ridge above the Bečva River, a site naturally protected by steep slopes. The castle occupied an area approximately 50 meters long and 30 meters wide and was fortified from the outset by a thick curtain wall, complemented on the south side by a massive round tower. A simple residential palace, comprising a cellar and two upper stories, stood on the northern side. The entire complex was encircled by a wide outer ward (*parkán*), beyond which a defensive ditch was excavated.