The wide, shallow basin at an altitude of 510 m lies inside a horseshoeshaped collar of deep forests out of which the memorable hill named Třemšín (827 m) and the highest peak of the Brdy massif-the Praha (862 m)-shoot up to the skies. Old Rožmitál is a real ancient settlement and its parochial Holy Rood Elevation Church, of which only the portal has remained, dates back to 1230-1240. At that time, the Levs of Rožmitál started the erection of their castle in the moorland nearby. The family's most prominent representative was Jaroslav Lev who undertook the well-known diplomatic mission to Western Europe on behalf of George of Poděbrady, King of Bohemia, and married the King's sister Johana. Later the castle went to the Gryspek family who converted it to a Renaissance château. The château belonged to the Archbishopric of Prague between 1623 and 1948 and got its present face under the administration of the clergy. The restoration works that had been carried out in 1974-89 by the municipality, remained unfinished. The township itself evolved from a modest settlement around the castle, and went through a serfdom period of growth, in spite of numerous fires. The square clings to the castle, the two making up a registered urban treasure, with the Town Hall and the St John of Pomuk's Church included. The Brdy Memorial in the square is showing Jan Jakub Ryba's chamber in memory of the teacher and composer who was a native of Přeštice. Rožmitál was his home from 1788 to his tragic death and his grave is now found in the churchyard of Starý Rožmitál. Ryba's 1796 Christmas Mass (Hey, Master) spread all across the country and crossed many borders. Its tradition is still alive at Rožmitál.