| Poustka | |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Karlovy Vary |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Cheb |
| Pushpin Map: | Czech Republic |
| Pushpin Relief: | 1 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the Czech Republic |
| Coordinates: | 50.1403°N 12.2983°W |
| Established Title: | First mentioned |
| Established Date: | 1275 |
| Area Total Km2: | 6.98 |
| Elevation M: | 515 |
| Population As Of: | 2024-01-01 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 170 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | CET |
| Utc Offset1: | +1 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 350 02 |
Poustka (German: Oed) is a municipality and village in Cheb District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 200 inhabitants. It is known for the Seeberg Castle.
The village of Ostroh is an administrative part of Poustka.
The word Czech: poustka denoted lonely house or abandoned house. The Middle High German word einôti (in modern German Einöde), which gave rise to the German name of the settlement Oed, had the same meaning.[2]
Poustka is located about 8km (05miles) northwest of Cheb and 40km (30miles) west of Karlovy Vary. It lies in the Fichtel Mountains. The highest point is the hill Kozinec at 551m (1,808feet) above sea level. The stream Slatinný potok flows through the municipality.
The first written mention of Poustka is from 1275.[3] Ostroh was first mentioned in 1322.[4] The villages developed typically for the castle grounds, they provided the background for the castle. Farmers and people working at the castle lived here. It used to be a strategic point, but later the original function of the castle changed and it became mainly an administrative centre.[3] Among the notable owners of the castle were the families of Schlick, Juncker, Zedtwitz and Nostitz.[4]
The I/64 road from Františkovy Lázně to the Czech-German border in Aš runs through the municipality.
The main landmark is the Seeberg Castle in Ostroh. It was built between 1250 and 1275. It originally served as a ministerial castle. The original Romanesque castle was later rebuilt in Gothic and Renaissance styles. It consists of a Romanesque and Gothic palace with a Renaissance wing. Today the castle is open to the public.[5]
The Church of Saint Wolfgang was built in the Gothic style in 1470–1478. It was rebuilt in the Baroque style in 1721–1724.[6]