Rabštejn nad Střelou
The smallest town in Czechia
Rabštejn is located on a promontory bordered by steep slopes above the Střela River. The town is dominated by a Baroque chateau with the ruins of a 14th century Gothic castle, the town fortifications and a monastery with the adjacent Church of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows.
The first mention of Rabštejn Castle dates back to 1269. The castle is connected to the town fortifications from the first half of the 13th century. In the 16th century, a Renaissance chateau was built in the eastern part of the castle, which fell into disrepair and in 1705 a new Baroque chateau was built in front of it, which was reconstructed in the 1970s for the needs of a training centre. The castle ruins are freely accessible.
The monastery was founded in 1672. In 1787, the monastery was dissolved by Emperor Joseph II, a rectory and a school were established here, followed by apartments and a hotel.
The town has a collection of folk houses with timbered and half-timbered architecture. An interesting building in the town is the mill U Lišáků with a shingle roof. The stone bridge built over the river Střela is a technical monument. In front of it there is a stone conciliatory cross from 1584. The town was declared an urban conservation area in 1992. There are currently only 21 permanent inhabitants in the town, and it's called as the smallest town in Czechia (although it administratively belongs to Manětín).