Czechia · Ruin
Střekov Castle
Střekov Castle (Schreckenstein) is a medieval fortress ruin perched on a steep basalt cliff above the Elbe River at Ústí nad Labem in northern Bohemia. Built in the early 14th century, the site retains a tall cylindrical bergfried, an oblong palas block and extensive curtain walls divided into two linked sections. It stands as a prominent riverside landmark and symbol of the region.
First raised
1310
Its prime
1570
Today
Ruin
As it stood in 1570
The shape it held in its prime.
A two-part stone castle sitting astride a steep, monolithic dark clinkstone rock 100 metres above the Elbe, its mass broken into an irregular oblong palas block and a separate ward linked by an arched bridge over a natural moat. A tall, cylindrical bergfried with a simple pointed roof rises above the centre; low curtain walls and semi-circular bastions extend along the cliff edge. Masonry is pale-grey weathered stone, with areas of ruined walling and trees on the rock slopes below.
Its story
The story of Střekov Castle.
Střekov Castle — Schreckenstein in German — was built in the 14th century on a monolithic clinkstone rock rising steeply 100 metres above the Elbe at Ústí nad Labem, to protect the waterway and collect duties on transported goods. Its plan is unusual for its date: two sections joined by an arched bridge over a natural moat, with semi-circular bastions inspired by French architecture, possibly the first defensive design of that type in Bohemia.
Shortly after its construction the castle came into the possession of the Bohemian House of Wartenberg from Tetschen, and after changing hands several times it was acquired by the Lobkowicz family — Wenzel Popel of Lobkowicz became castellan in 1563, and in 1601 the castle passed into the direct possession of the House of Lobkowicz. Confiscated by the state in 1948 after almost 400 years, it was returned to the family in 1990.
The ruin enchanted visiting artists — Goethe, Richard Wagner and Karel Hynek Mácha among them — and Ludwig Richter fixed it in paint in Überfahrt am Schreckenstein, which hangs in Dresden's Galerie Neue Meister. Bergfried, palas and castle walls survive or have been rebuilt, and the rock remains the symbol of North Bohemia.
Step inside
8 places to explore in 1570.
The record describes 8 distinct spots at Střekov Castle — including 1 interior: domestic courtyard and former service range. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more photos, more angles and more rooms of the immersive experience.
Create History
Recreate Střekov Castle with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1570 — a photoreal walk that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
Recreate Castle to Explore →Whose castle
Clans who held Střekov Castle.
The families that held Střekov Castle for a decade or more across its history — follow a name to its clan.
Wartenberg
Held by the Bohemian House of Wartenberg from Tetschen shortly after the castle's 14th-century construction.
Lobkowicz
Acquired by the Lobkowicz family in 1563; held until confiscated in 1948, and returned in 1990.
