Červená Hora: Castle Ruins, Nature and History

Červená Hora combines an impressive history with a landscape where the river, floodplain meadows, mixed forests, and rock outcrops form a cohesive whole.

The Castle Ruins Above the Úpa

The most prominent historical feature is the ruins of Červená Hora Castle. They are located about 1 kilometre west of the village on a rocky hill above the Úpa River. The castle was built between 1253 and 1278 on a hill of red sandstone. Its location and building material give the site a distinctive place in the history of the village.

Together with Vízmburk and Rýzmburk, Červená Hora was part of three fortified strongholds at important junctions of the Kłodzko–Polish and Úpa trade routes. The castle was destroyed by the Hussites in 1427 and was never rebuilt. Today, therefore, the focus is not on a fully preserved complex, but on the history of a ruin whose origins are closely connected with medieval trade routes and regional defence.

Natural Landscape and Gorge

Part of the Babiččino údolí National Nature Monument lies within the cadastral area of Červená Hora. In the Červená Hora planning area, the National Nature Monument includes the valley of the Úpa River, meadows in its floodplain, and mixed forests on the adjacent slopes with rock outcrops. These diverse landscape elements make the natural area varied: the river landscape, open meadows, wooded slopes, and visible rock formations occur here as distinct components of the same protected area.

Another specific landscape destination is the Žebrácká rokle gorge, located about 400 metres north of Červená Hora. When planning your trips, you can therefore distinguish between a historical destination west of the village and a prominent landform to the north, without combining the two sites into a single circular route.

Chapel, Monument, and Literary Traces

The history of the village also includes the Chapel of the Virgin Mary with its small bell tower, built in 1870. It is a cultural monument. Its design includes a four-sided brick base, a truncated hipped roof covered with shingles, a lantern, an onion dome, and a cross. There is also a cross dating from 1908 near the chapel. Those interested in smaller historic buildings and the details of their construction will find here a different way of exploring history than at the large castle ruins.

Červená Hora is also the birthplace of Viktorie Židová, who inspired the character of Viktorka in Božena Němcová’s novel “The Grandmother” (“Babička”). Part of the plot of Alois Jirásek’s chronicle “U nás” is also connected with Červená Hora. The village can therefore be explored not only through its buildings and landscape, but also through the literary history associated with its inhabitants and surroundings.

Routes for Different Interests

The Justynčina stezka trail runs through Červená Hora and is suitable for hikers and cyclists. It therefore offers an opportunity to include the village in an active route. By contrast, the 35-kilometre “In the Footsteps of the Battles of 1866” route, which passes through Červená Hora, has an explicitly historical focus.

Other Places for Orientation

For further destination options, you can also check Šonov, Machov, Mezilečí, Zábrodí, Pekov, Starkov, Chlivce, and Vršovka.

For the overview of the wider region: Náchod District.