Castle Hill near Česká Kamenice

Castle Hill is a distinctive solitary basalt hill with an altitude of 529.6 m near the town of Česká Kamenice in the Děčín district. It is known mainly for the remains of Kamenický Castle and the restored lookout tower on its summit. It is the highest peak of the Česká Kamenice Uplands geomorphological subdistrict. The peak of the hill rises 200 meters above Česká Kamenice.

Between Česká Kamenice and Kamenický Šenov, there is a green marked KČT trail for hikers, from which a branch to the summit is created. The closest connection by train and bus is from Česká Kamenice.

Castle

It was probably founded in the 13th century, but its flourishing and completion were ensured by the lords of Vartenberk only before 1430 to protect the country path leading to Lusatia. The name was derived from the mountain river Kamenice full of boulders. 10-15 years later, the Lusatian towns organized a military expedition in retaliation for the Vartenberk’s robber expeditions to Lusatia and apparently burned the castle in the period 1440-1444. After several decades, in 1515, the lords of Salhausen bought the estate. Other records show that in 1535 Kamenice was again owned by the lords of Vartenberk, but it was no longer an inhabited castle. A skirmish took place in 1639 during the Thirty Years’ War and the Swedes burned and demolished it again. In 1880, members of the Beautification Society set about cleaning up the air raids and repairing the masonry. Then the castle palace building was converted into a tourist cottage, and a 16-meter-high observation tower with a nice view of Česká Kamenice was built. In 1910, the society was able to open the knights’ hall. After 1940, the building, including the observation tower, began to fall into disrepair, 10 years later the restaurant disappeared, and the wooden tower was falling apart.

Restoration

In 1995, thanks to the newly established foundation for the restoration of Zámecký vrch in Česká Kamenice, the restoration was successfully started. The castle palace and part of the stone walls were preserved from the castle. The ruins were cleaned again, the walls were reinforced, and in 1998 the construction of a new lookout tower was completed. The ceremonial reopening took place on June 13, 1998.