Červená Hora: Castle and Literary History

Červená Hora combines castle and architectural history with literary connections and a protected landscape. These different features can help you choose a destination if you are primarily looking for historic places, literature, or scenery.

Červená Hora Castle and Its History

The ruins of Červená Hora Castle lie about 1 kilometer west of the village, on a rocky rise above the Úpa River. The castle was built between 1253 and 1278 on a hill of red sandstone. The Hussites destroyed the complex in 1427; it was never rebuilt. Its construction and destruction thus stand as clearly distinct dates in the castle’s history. The site is also connected with other fortifications: together with Vízmburk and Rýzmburk, the castle was one of three fortified strongholds at important crossroads on the Kladsko-Polish and Úpa trade routes. The ruins can therefore be understood both as a specific site and in the context of these three strongholds and the trade routes.

The Chapel and Local Architectural History

The Chapel of the Virgin Mary adds a building dating from 1870 to the medieval castle history; it has a small bell tower. As a cultural monument, it has a four-sided masonry base and a truncated tent roof covered with shingles. It also features a lantern, an onion-shaped dome, and a cross. The sequence from the base to the top gives the architecture a clear vertical structure. A cross dating from 1908 also stands near the chapel. It is distinct from the cross that is one of the chapel’s architectural features: these are two crosses in different contexts, one part of the building and the other a separate landmark nearby.

Literary Connections

One literary connection is through a person: Červená Hora is the birthplace of Viktorie Židová, who inspired the character Viktorka in Božena Němcová’s “Babička.” Another connection comes from Alois Jirásek’s chronicle “U nás,” part of whose plot is associated with Červená Hora. The two connections differ: in “Babička,” the link is through the person who inspired Viktorka, while in “U nás,” it is through part of the plot. Biographical and literary connections to the place thus come together without referring to the same kind of relationship.

Babiččino údolí and the Landscape

The Babiččino údolí National Natural Monument includes the valley of the Úpa River, meadows in its floodplain, and mixed forests on the adjacent slopes, with rock outcrops. Part of the natural monument lies within the cadastral area of Červená Hora. The landscape therefore extends from the river valley and floodplain to the wooded slopes and their rock outcrops. Another landscape landmark, Žebrácká rokle, lies about 400 meters north of Červená Hora. This ravine adds a distinct natural feature to the valley and its slopes.

Routes through Červená Hora

The Justynčina stezka trail passes through Červená Hora and is suitable for pedestrians and cyclists. Check trail conditions before setting out. A second route, the 35-kilometer “Po stopách bojů války 1866,” also passes through the village. The details offer different points of reference for planning: for the Justynčina stezka, they concern suitability for pedestrians and cyclists; for the second route, its total length.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Červený Kostelec, Stolin, Horicky, Zlícko, Mezilečí, Libchyně, Křinice, Šestajovice U Jaroměře

Go to the regional travel overview: Okres Náchod.