Castles & ruins 39: Pirkštejn, CZ

 

Pirkštejn Castle, in the town of Rataje nad Sázavou, is first mentioned in 1289, when it passed from Přibyslav of Rataje to Hroznata of Úžice, burgrave of Prague Castle. In 1293, it is again recorded as property of the Bishops of Prague.

Remarkably for such a small and politically minor castle, Pirkštejn is very well documented, even though it had already begun to decline and was later abandoned as a ruin in the late medieval period. The castle passed through numerous wars and conflicts among local nobles; it was burned, repaired, and burned again. The entire Sázava river region of Bohemia was densely populated with castles, people, and constant noble feuds.

(1847 picturing Rataje)

In 1843, the ruins were taken over by Alois II of Liechtenstein, who rebuilt the main tower into a bell tower, adapted parts of the former palace into accommodation for Rataje priests, and transferred the complex and surrounding land to the Church, which still owns it today and does not allow public access.

The town of Rataje itself also changed dramatically. What was once a fortified medieval settlement — with a castle on one side, a strong fort on the other, protected by the river, walls, and ramparts — survives today only in imagination. Much of the remaining fortification was dismantled and reused as building material for town houses. The lower fort was destroyed around the 15th century to make way for a more modern residence for later owners, which itself was eventually lost.

Nevertheless, efforts to keep the local history alive continue, not only through documents but also through events such as Slavnosti Pirkštejnské růže, a medieval festival celebrating the “Rose of Pirkštejn”, and the Rattay Tourney, a historical martial arts tournament (this year - 2026 - held on 13 of June).

The game Kingdom Come: Deliverance draws on the documented day-to-day life of Pirkštejn Castle and the town of Rataje, as preserved in extensive written records and archaeological evidence. Ironically, this abundance of historical data left little room for genuine local myths and legends. To fill that gap, the romantic Czech revival of the 19th century supplied its own stories — among them the tale of the castle last captain Racek Kobyla.

Racek Kobyla was appointed to serve the young Hynek (Jan) Ptáček of Pirkštejn, the hereditary lord of Pirkštejn and Rataje nad Sázavou, after his father’s death (this is true historical fact). Racek ruled in Jan’s name, held the castle, and administered the estate, with the duty of handing everything back once Jan came of age. But when Jan reached adulthood, he moved on from the small and increasingly insignificant Pirkštejn in search of greater fortunes, leaving Racek bound to the castle he had guarded for so long.

They say that when Racek Kobyla felt his strength leaving him, he did not fear death itself. What troubled him was that the watch was not yet finished. The keys were still in his hands when he died. After his burial, the castle did not pass cleanly from one hand to another. The halls grew quiet. Men departed. Doors were shut and never reopened. What had been guarded slipped, slowly and without battle, into neglect.

From that time on, people claimed that Racek Kobyla never truly departed. On certain nights, when the Sázava lies still and the town below is dark, a lone figure is seeing moving along the upper walls of Pirkštejn. He walks the circuit as a guard would, stopping where the towers once stood, looking down toward the river, then turning back. He carries no torch and calls to no one. He does not frighten, attack, or speak. He appears only as a presence — sometimes on foot, sometimes mounted, but always alone.

He is bound to the place because he failed to complete his earthly duty: to protect the estate and the lineage, instead he saw family dwindling and the castle ruined. He neither seeks redemption nor resolution; his wandering simply marks loss. Those who sense him say the ghost brings the feeling that something important passed — and no one noticed.

From above: Pirkstejn