PALEČEK’S CASTLE MODEL AT ROVNOST NEAR JÁCHYMOV
Description
Paleček’s Castle is a naïve and idealised model of a Gothic castle located within the area of the former Rovnost mine near Jáchymov. It was built of brick and later plastered. Although now in a ruinous state, it still preserves its original form and layout. The structure covers roughly 2.5 × 3.5 metres and today stands about 150 cm high. Originally it was higher, approximately 175 cm, but gradual deterioration of the masonry has reduced its height.
Three towers with sections of curtain walls survive, together with an entrance gate, an inner tower with a passage and remnants of the palace walls. The whole resembles a miniature romanticised castle complex, now strongly affected by weathering and time.
Origin
Several theories exist regarding the origin of this unusual structure, but none has been conclusively confirmed.
One hypothesis links the castle to the retribution prisoner Richard Karl Fuchs, a supporter of the Nazi occupation who also declared allegiance to the Waffen-SS. He was imprisoned at Rovnost between 1949 and 1955 and served as a feared camp elder. However, no direct connection between him and the model castle has been proven. It is only certain that the structure already existed during his imprisonment, as indicated by a recorded remark to a fellow prisoner that he would have to “stand there until a light appears in the castle”.
Another interpretation associates the structure with the camp commander František Paleček, also known as Albín Paleček, František Dvořák or Albín Dvořák. According to this version, the castle may have been built for amusement, representation or to embellish the camp roll-call square. This possibility cannot be excluded, since an aerial photograph suggests that the original location may indeed have been within the roll-call area. The exact date of construction is unknown, but the structure certainly existed before 1956, most likely during Paleček’s tenure between 1951 and 1954.
A third hypothesis suggests that the model originated as part of a recreational area for civilian employees of the mine, or that it was later moved there. A dining hall for civilian staff once stood nearby and was demolished no later than 1956. In the vicinity, remains of a small ornamental pool with a fountain and traces of a decorative rock garden still survive, supporting this interpretation.
Present state
The present condition and future of the small structure remain uncertain. A simplified depiction of the castle forms the symbol of the Jáchymov Hell educational trail and the organisation Politicti vezni.cz, but otherwise the object is not systematically protected and the masonry continues to deteriorate.
In 2022 the town of Jáchymov had a service track for a snow groomer cut through nearby terrain, which also revealed remains of buildings from the uranium mining period. Signs of improvement appeared in 2023, when archaeological investigation and conservation of the masonry began, potentially helping to preserve this unusual reminder of the labour camp and uranium mining history of the region.
Photo album: https://www.rajce.idnes.cz/mipalfi/album/jachymov-paleckuv-hrad
