Pecka Castle

Pecka Castle - Hrad Pecka, Pecka, Hradec Kralove Region, Czech Republic.

Pecka Castle is known as the "Pearl of the Podkrkonoší" (the region at the foot of the Giant Mountains). It is situated right in the heart of this magnificent area. From the castle’s vantage point, one can admire the central massif of the Giant Mountains (Krkonoše) in all its glory, including Sněžka and Černá Hora; to the west, rising above the town of Nová Paka, are the hills of Kumburk and Bradlec—topped by the ruins of medieval castles—with Tábor and its pilgrimage church to their right, and to the southeast, the 671-meter-high Zvičina, the region's highest peak.
History of the Castle
The first written mention of Pecka Castle dates back to 1322, listing Budivoj of Pecka as its owner. Originally, the castle served to protect the provincial border and the gold mines near the village of Stupná, where mining operations continued throughout the Middle Ages. It featured two defensive towers connected by a curtain wall and a residential palace located in the southern part of the courtyard. A moat was excavated around the castle, making access possible only via a drawbridge.
From the late 15th century onwards, the castle's owners sought to expand its residential quarters. Initially—under the Hořický family of Hořice—this was done in the Gothic style; however, from the second half of the 16th century, under the Škopek family of Bílé Otradovice, a comprehensive Renaissance reconstruction was gradually carried out. This process was brought to completion in the early 17th century by Kryštof Harant of Polžice and Bezdružice through interior renovations. In place of the former austere castle, a beautiful manor house now stood, featuring four residential wings built around a rectangular courtyard and adorned—both inside and out—with sgraffito and the painted coats of arms of the Škopek and Harant families.
Following the tragic execution of Kryštof Harant in Old Town Square in June 1621, Albrecht von Wallenstein acquired Pecka; after holding the estate for a year, he gifted the chateau to the Carthusian Order from Valdice near Jičín. For over a century and a half, the Order used Pecka solely as a summer residence.
The largely uninhabited chateau gradually fell into disrepair. A massive fire in 1830 put a definitive end to its glory days.
An officially sanctioned dismantling of the masonry followed, continuing until 1921, when the municipality of Pecka acquired the ruins. It was the town's residents who were responsible for the building's at least partial restoration.
Defying the recommendation of the heritage authorities—who favored preserving the site as a ruin—the locals repaired the western "Harant Wing" using a combination of state subsidies, their own funds, and their own labor. The castle has served as a tourist attraction with a visitor tour route since 1968.
In 2012, the original entrance to the cellars directly from the courtyard was restored, creating a second, independent tour route.