Libá castle

A historical gem on a rock

Libá Castle (formerly also Liebenstein)  is a castle rebuilt into a chateau on a hill above the Libský stream in the southeastern part of the village of Libá, near Františkovy Lázně in West Bohemia. The castle has been protected as a cultural monument since 1963.

Libá castle

The castle and the village were founded around the middle of the 13th century. In 1264, Ruprecht of Nový Liebenstein is mentioned, which proves the existence of the castle. At the end of the 13th century, the Liebenstein family died out and the castle was demolished. In 1346, the estate and the destroyed castle were acquired as a Czech crown fief by the Cheb burgher František Gosswein and in 1355 he restored it with the permission of Charles IV. Later, Wenceslas IV took the castle from the Gossweins due to numerous robberies and lent it to Johann I of Leuchtenberk in 1381. He sold it to the Cheb burgher Erhard Rudisch in 1400. After his death in 1406, Libou was inherited by the Knights of Sparnak, from whom they bought the estate after 1425. Zedwitz, who owned it and the castle until the beginning of the 20th century. In 1945 the entire estate was confiscated by the state.

There are many interesting granite formations in and around Libá itself.