Hazmburk

Hazmburk is a mountain peak in the České Středohoří range found in the Czech Republic, near the town of Libochovice. At the top of the mountain there is the ruin of a mediaeval castle, of which two towers and some wall fragments are still standing. A smaller first castle was already built there in the late 13th century by the Lichtenburg noble family. Later, the site was home to the Zajíc family: in 1335, Zbyněk Zajíc, a powerful aristocrat during the times of Charles IV., purchased it, and made it the center of his estates. In Czech, the word zajíc means hare, so the name of castle and hill is a mediaeval play on the name of its most prominent owners, who even had hares in their coat of arms. Zbyněk Zajíc considerably enlarged and extended the castle, and in particular added the two prominent towers which survive to this day.