Švamberk (also Krasíkov, German Schwamberg, also Schwanberg) is the ruin of the castle above the Krasíkov court near Kokašice in the Tachov district of the Pilsen region. The ruin of the Gothic castle stands on the Krasíkov hill at an altitude of 636 meters above the Hadovka river, about three kilometers west of Konstantinovy Lázně. Since 1964 it has been protected as a Cultural Monument.
View from the castle ruins of Krasíkov
The castle was founded by the lords of Švamberk in the second half of the thirteenth century. It belonged to their family, with the exception of the years 1544–1569, until its demise at the end of the Thirty Years' War. In 1421, it was conquered by Jan Žižka of Trocnov, who was captured by Bohuslav of Švamberk. During the following year, the castle, occupied by a Hussite garrison, was besieged twice unsuccessfully by Bohuslav's brother Hynek Krušina, who eventually bought it from the Hussites. In 1443, the castle burned down, but Hynek Krušina soon repaired it. Another fire destroyed the castle in 1644, and its remains were briefly occupied by a Swedish garrison three years later. Although the Church of St. Mary Magdalene was built on the forecourt, the castle itself was never restored, and the castle masonry served as a source of building material for buildings in the surrounding area.The slopes of the castle hill are protected as a natural monument Krasíkov with the occurrence of thermophilic communities. A green marked tourist route leads to the castle from Konstantinovy Lázně via Dolní Polžice and Ovčí vrch. On the northeastern slope of the Krasíkov hill, a yellow marked route from Černošín connects to it.
Photo 1-3: Krasíkov