Cornštejn Castle

Ruins of Castle Cornštejn

The castle ruins Cornštejn ( German castle Zornstein ) in Okres Znojmo in Moravia is situated on a high rock above the valley of the Thaya and is about one kilometer from the castle Bítov.

History

The castle Zornstein was built in the first half of the 14th century, with the consent of the Bohemian king John of Luxembourg on a strategically important place of the Moravian Governor Raymond of Lichtenburg, which already has close location Bítov belonged. The castle was to secure the important road connection from Bítov after Vranov. Your first written mention was made on 31 May 1343 as Margrave Karl Raimund's sons Smil and CENEK and their nephew in January gave approval to divide the in their possession a hereditary Zornstein and Bítov into three parts. 1348 was Zornstein, belonged to the Štítary and Přiblovice, in the possession of Henry ( Jindřich ) of Lichtenburg. A short time later there was a dispute over the ownership rights between the Lords of Hradec and the light burgers, but they were already 1363 again mentioned as the owner of the castle Zornstein. They expanded the castle to a palace and an outer bailey. 1422 the Hussites conquered the castle. After the Hussite wars the Lichtenburg build a new palace on the north side of the castle. Beginning of the 1440s it came to Zornstein a dispute between Emperor Frederick III. and Jan von Lichtenburg, which was settled in 1445.

Since 1460 Zornstein belonged to the Hynek Bitovska of Lichtenburg. This supported in the clashes between the Bohemian King George of Podiebrad and the Pope, the Catholic side. Therefore Georg besieged the castle in 1464 Zornstein that he could conquer only after a year. It was confiscated together with the associated possessions of the king and transferred as a fief of the Heinrich Kraiger Kraigk. His son Wolfgang was to repair the damage caused and built more fortifications. After 1526 Zornstein came again to the light and turn Burger was the rule Bítov connected. They increased in 1542 because of the threat of a Turkish fortifications and built on a hill southwest of the castle a tower.

After another change of ownership Zornstein remained uninhabited from the end of the 16th century. Together with Bítov it came in 1617 to the Lords of Wlašim and 1788 to the Counts of Daun. Beginning of the 20th century belonged to the dominion Bítov the men of Haug joke, which they sold to Jan Ladislav Zamoysky soon. From this it became part of Prince Franz Radziwill, who in 1912 the industrialist Georg Haas of Hasenfels sold, whose son of the same was expropriated in 1945.

In the 1970s, carried out several security measures at the castle ruins. Other remediation and restoration measures are underway. On display are some gates, basements and two wells.