Raabs Castle, situated on a steep rocky promontory above the confluence of the Thaya rivers, towers over the small town. Standing on the balcony is like standing on the bow of a ship sailing into the past. The castle was built around 1050.
Instability in South Moravian space in the first half of the 11th century led to repeated conflicts. For example, in the Altahensis annales it is recorded that in 1082 the son of Margrave Adalbert took one of the towns at the present northern provincial border after it was forcibly taken from his father by the Přemyslids. After the extinction of the Raab Counts in the male line (around 1192) the western territory with the castle passed to Count Hirschberg-Tollenstein.
In 1252, Czech King Přemysl Otakar II acquired the whole county. Owner of the castle became Vok I. of Rožmberk from Czech noble clan Vítkovci. In 1282, the Castle passed to Habsburgs, because after 1278 a large part of the county was confiscated by King Rudolf.
The castle is presently owned by the publisher Richard Pils and his family. The “province library” publishes numerous award-winning books and books are the focal point of the annual poets’ festival in August. Various exhibitions alternate during the year. Guided tours can be organized upon request.
The Jan Hus Memorial stands at one end of Old Town Square. The huge monument depicts victorious Hussite warriors and Protestants who were forced into exile 200 years after Hus, and a young mother who symbolises national rebirth. The monument was so large that the sculptor designed and built his own villa and studio where the work could be carried out. It was unveiled in 1915 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Jan Hus' martyrdom. The memorial was designed by Ladislav Šaloun and paid for solely by public donations.
Born in 1369, Hus became an influential religious thinker, philosopher, and reformer in Prague. He was a key predecessor to the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century. In his works he criticized religious moral decay of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, the Czech patriot Hus believed that mass should be given in the vernacular, or local language, rather than in Latin. He was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe.