Vimperk castle was founded in the mid-thirteenth century most likely by Přemysl king Otakar II. The castle was supposed to protect the land border and especially the important trade route from Passau to Bohemia. In the beginning of the 15th century the castle complex consisted of two towers, several palaces and it was already set within the developed defensive walls.
The effectiveness of gunnery techniques enhanced in the 15th century. As a reaction to the unstable political situation, the town and the castle were merged into a single fortified unit which was easier to defence. To protect a weak point in the defence, which was the south-east side of the castle, an outpost, mighty round tower Haselburg was built.
The possession passed to the powerful and well-known House of Rosenberg in mid-16th century. After that the strongly fortified castle began to be rebuilt into the Renaissance chateau. It was again restored in the 17th century.
From 1630 the dominion was held by the Eggenberg family and later on, in 1719, was bought by the Schwarzenberg family, which in the 18th century partially rebuilt the castle in the Baroque style.
On 20th July 1857 the Upper Castle was struck by lightning which caused a vast fire that led to the severe damages to the buildings. However, in those times the palaces were not used as a representative aristocratic seat anymore. First of all, it had served as a forest administration headquarters. In the era of the so-called First Republic (1918–1938), the castle was rented as barracks to the Czechoslovak Army. After the World War II, the property passed under the so-called “Lex Schwarzenberg” law to the Czechoslovakian state.
The Schwarzenberg administrative centre was transformed into South Bohemian forest management. Apart from various offices, the castle housed also a town museum from 1961. During the Communist era (1945-1989), the castle maintenance began to be neglected.
In 2010 the castle was called the National Cultural Heritage and the restoration started. Today it is open to the public.
Ogrodzieniec Castle is a ruined medieval castle originally built in the 14th–15th century by the W³odkowie Sulimczycy family. Established in the early 12th century, during the reign of Boles³aw III Wrymouth, the first stronghold was razed by the Tatars in 1241. In the mid-14th century a new gothic castle was built here to accommodate the Sulimczycy family. Surrounded by three high rocks, the castle was well integrated into the area. The defensive walls were built to close the circuit formed by the rocks, and a narrow opening between two of the rocks served as an entrance.
In 1470 the castle and lands were bought by the wealthy Cracovian townsmen, Ibram and Piotr Salomon. Then, Ogrodzieniec became the property of Jan Feliks Rzeszowski, the rector of Przemy¶l and the canon of Cracow. The owners of the castle about that time were also Jan and Andrzej Rzeszowskis, and later Pilecki and Che³miñski families. In 1523 the castle was bought by Jan Boner.