Střekov Castle Is Perched Atop A Cliff Above The River Elbe, Near The City Of Ústí Nad Labem In The Czech Republic. Royalty-Free Stock Photography

Střekov Castle was built in 1316 for John of Luxembourg, the father of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, to guard an important trade route to Germany. After changing hands several times, the castle was acquired by the Lobkowicz family in 1563. Its strategic importance led to occupations by Imperial Habsburg, Saxon, and Swedish forces during the Thirty Years` War, as well as successive sieges by Austrian and Prussian armies during the Seven Years` War. Although Střekov Castle was heavily damaged during those conflicts and abandoned as a military installation by the end of the 18th century, the 1800s saw many poets and artists visiting the castle, drawn by a new trend of interest in romantic ruins. Goethe declared the view from the castle`s position above the Elbe to be the most beautiful in Central Europe, while Richard Wagner`s opera Tannhäuser was supposedly inspired by his visit to Střekov