A trip to the ruin of the Brumov castle

Thanks to the trip to the ruins of the late Romanesque castle, you will find more about a place that once had its strategic military importance in the history of the Czech lands.

Getting there

The castle lies in the southeast corner of Wallachia, on the western edge of the Brumov-Bylnice. By car, you are here from Uherský Brod in 40 (via Bojkovice), respectively in 45 minutes (via Luhačovice). The brown signpost “Brumov” with the pictogram of the ruins lead you to the parking lot under the castle.

From the parking lot (that is free of charge), head towards the bridge over the river Nedašovka, then take the road to the right. After a few meters you reach the foot of the steps leading to the castle. If you go with a stroller or bike, you can follow the tarmac road leading to the castle.

Opening hours and admission

Opening hours depend on the tourist season. In April, May, June, September, and October, the castle is open from Tuesday to Sunday (10-12h and 13-17hours). In the high season (July, August), then from Monday to Sunday (10-12hours and 13-18hours).

Full admission for an adult is 50CZK, for children 30CZK. The family ticket costs 120CZK. You can also buy a combined ticket that will allow you to enter the nearby Museum.

Exhibition

In the former castle cellar, you will learn everything about the history of the castle and the place (in Czech only). Brumov Castle was probably founded probably during the reign of Přemysl Otakar I at the beginning of the 13th century. Since its foundation, it had had the guard and defensive function of the Vlara Pass in the White Carpathian Massif on the Moravian side. In history, it used to be a military and commercially important link between the regions of Pomoraví and Považie.

The castle was inhabited practically until the beginning of the 19th century, when it became a deserted ruin after the second devastating fire.

You will also learn about how archaeological research under PhDr. Jiří Kohoutek, CSc had taken place in this almost forgotten place. In particular, thanks to him, the remains of the late Romanesque castle in 2000 were open to the public.

I personally liked the drawings and models of how the castle looked at certain times of its development. One gets a better idea than only seeing a brief outline of the ground plan.

In the second exhibition, you will learn about the region of South Wallachia. Here you can also climb the tower and look around.

There are a lot of events taking place in the castle complex during the year. Behind most of them (eg Fairytale Forest, Scout Day) is the local scout center Brumov-Bylnice. Cultural events are then held in a small amphitheater at the lower castle.

Refreshments

You can buy snacks directly at the ticket office (sweets, chips, drinks) and have a picnic right in the castle premises or in front of its walls.

At the ticket office, you can also buy various small items and souvenirs – such as wooden swords. Our children have been so demanding so much for them, that I decided to be a nice mum (hey, what I´m talking about! I´m always nice to my children 🙂 ) and bought them the swords. As the guy at the ticket office remarked – maybe a visit to the confectioner´s shop might have been cheaper 😀 Maybe, but their joy and enthusiasm when they grabbed their swords and played the knights!

What else to visit in the region

In the premises of the castle, you will see a signpost of nearby castles. If your visit to Brumov is not enough, you can go to the Slovak side and visit the ruins of Vršatec, or visit the castle in Vizovice.

We had plenty of time, so my mom thought we could drive to the lookout tower near Bojkovice. Thanks to her sense of direction (Mom, I know you read it, but I have to write it :)) we didn´t end up at the lookout tower, but at the castle of Nový Světlov. So be it 🙂 Anyway, here we didn´t take a guided tour, because the children seemed to be tired after the knight games and we didn´t want to wait half an hour for a potential tour (I write “potential” since the tour would take place only if there were more than 4 paying visitors).

Finally…

By visiting the castle I revived my old memories of my “ol´ Scouts days”. Nearly 25 years ago (yeah, I’m so old 🙂 ) we had summer camps in nearby Nedašov. We once made a trip to Brumov Castle. It was at a time when the castle was not accessible to the public. Who has enabled it, I really do not know? Maybe someone from the local scout organization? That would make sense. I do remember that we were sleeping in the open air somewhere in the neighborhoods. Or was it in the castle? I do not really remember that. But if there is someone who remembers more, let me know!

And what about you? Have you been here some time? What memories do you have in connection with this place? Send me your comments! And do not forget to save this picture on Pinterest!