Kost Castle

Kost Castle stands on a sandstone promontory where three rocky valleys meet, providing natural defensive advantages. The fortress features a trapezoidal layout, primarily the result of two building phases in the 14th century, with construction focusing on local stone and medieval masonry techniques.

A dominant feature is the White Tower, a massive five-story residential structure measuring roughly 17.6 by 14 meters with walls about 3.2 meters thick. The tower’s lower levels were designated for storing grain, while the upper floors served as living quarters, notable for finely profiled windows and a built-in safe recessed into a beveled corner. Opposite this tower lies the palace, which includes a round corner tower called the Red Tower, about six meters across. The Red Tower originally contained the castle chapel before religious functions moved to a larger chapel elsewhere in the courtyard.

The entrance sequence to the castle was fortified by three gates equipped with portcullises (heavy vertically sliding grates) and drawbridges spanning surrounding moats. The first gate was set near the Red Tower, the second close to a small square tower to the northwest, and the third gate opened into the inner courtyard from the north. This layered defense underscored the castle’s fortified character.

Within the inner courtyard, a kitchen building was situated opposite the palace, while a large chapel featuring a two-sided rounded apse occupied the northeast corner. Initially, this chapel had a simple wooden ceiling, which was replaced after 1551 by a vaulted brick ceiling with lunettes—small semi-circular windows integrated into the vault structure.

Outer defensive works included barbicans—fortified enclosures protecting the castle’s approaches—on the south, east, and north sides. Surrounding these were likely economic buildings serving the castle’s operational needs. The oldest surviving portion is a square residential tower in the northwest corner, constructed of rubble stone with three flat-ceilinged floors and a vaulted cellar. Its top floor was enhanced in the late 14th century with elaborate window frames.

In the 16th century, the castle saw further expansions with the addition of the Biberštejn Palace, positioned between the first and second gates and linked to the older palace by a passage over the second gate. Additional remodeling in the northern wing produced the Šelmberk Palace, which included a black kitchen—a cooking area designed for heavy use—and an adjacent anteroom.

Close to the base of the White Tower, a late Gothic building once accommodated estate officials before being converted into a carriage shed in 1875. The outer bailey, an enclosed courtyard outside the main walls, gained economic structures such as a brewery and farm buildings later in the 16th century. Gates in this area provided access toward nearby towns like Sobotka and Turnov. One such gate by the White Pond was removed in the mid-19th century and replaced by a statue of St. John of Nepomuk.

Decorative sgraffito plasterwork from the 16th century remains visible on the Biberštejn Palace and adjacent structures, showing artistic touches from that era. After the 1635 fire that destroyed much of the palace wing—leaving only stables and two rooms intact—further deterioration in the late 1600s led to the removal of courtyard galleries and repurposing of existing palace spaces as grain storage.

Baroque-era modifications were limited, with only a single sala terrena (a ground-floor reception room open to the garden or courtyard) added at the White Tower’s base by the notable historical figure Albrecht of Wallenstein.

Currently, Kost Castle is preserved as a cultural monument. Recent restorations have focused on stabilizing the foundations, walls, and the sandstone rock beneath the castle itself, ensuring the survival of its significant medieval masonry and historical fabric.