In the 15th to 17th centuries the military and political significance of the castle grew to its peak.
At that time Pernštejn was not only a centre of a large barony, but also a fortress, which played an important role in the struggle for Moravia and the city of Brno.
This role of the castle responds for the first leg of its construction – John I carried out the largest reconstruction of the castle, which was also supposed to repair the damage after a big fire from the time before 1460.
To the original heart of the castle was then complemented mainly by an ingenious fortification system that protected the whole naze.
Ditches were dug around the castle and walls with new towers were built in the angles of the ramparts and inside the castle complex.
The typical Pernštejn square tower grew outside the castle premises and was connected with them by means of two wooden bridges, which was to allow the last resort for defence and withdrawal in the case of seizure of the castle's core.
The castle premises spread by new buildings to the prejudice of the inner yard, and the castle that lacked room began to grow upward.
The main fortification system grew toward the north, the only possible direction where an attack could come from.
The whole naze was built in this direction as a part of the fortress; it was surrounded by walls and diked by several moats with drawbridges.
On the northern end there stood a tall semicircle renaissance bastion protecting the entrance to the spacious settlement around the castle with outbuildings.
Another barrier on the way toward the castle was a mighty barbican whose 3 m thick walls with crenels for light firearms and a machicolation protected a narrow way to the entrance surrounded by ramparts.
Even if the enemy got across another moat in the very area of the castle, they even would have to face the problem of conquering the only narrow entrance high above the ground to which a wooden ramp terminated by a drawbridge originally led.
And then they would have to enter the rooms of the castle through a labyrinth of narrow passages and stairways where two men-at-arms could not pass side by side.
The barbican belongs to the best-preserved examples of the late Gothic fortification element in the Czech lands.

The appearance of the castle changed once more – at the end of the 15th and during the first half of the 16th century.
The reconstruction was started by William II of Pernštejn (1435–1521).
He lived in the area of transition of the Czech lands from Middle Ages to Renaissance and managed to use the relative peace with his "economic" sense to a fantastic rise of the family fortune.
At the end of the 15th and the beginning of the 16th century William II is an almost more important personality of interior politics than the Jagello kings.
He strove for the unity of the Czech kingdom against the separatist tendencies of the Moravians, forewarned to encroachment of foreigners and of decline of manners.
William II of Pernštejn is considered one of the most significant personalities of the Czech history and his political activity is often compared to that of emperor Charles IV.

At that time the castle grew by new halls: where it was impossible to move the walls further out cantilevers were inserted and jetties were made on them, therefore the upper floors of the castle have a bigger area than the ground floor.
The entrance space was coved with diamond vault and the former tower cells were turned into dwelling rooms.
The Renaissance style, which was brought to Pernštejn probably by the Italians, was promoted in the spatial concept of the new halls, and in the stonework on the reveals of windows and portals.

In the second half of the 16th century came the agony of the house of the Pernštejn.
In 1596 they had to sell the castle.
Much of the family's wealth and property passed to the Lobkowicz family, through Polyxena Pernštejn's marriage to Zdenek Vojtech Popel z Lobkowicz, Chancellor of the Czech Kingdom.
At the end of the 16th century and beginning of the 17th century Pernštejn Castle changed several owners.
Its i
In the 15th to 17th centuries the military and political significance of the castle grew to its peak. At that time Pernštejn was not only a centre of a large barony, but also a fortress, which played an important role in the struggle for Moravia and the city of Brno. This role of the castle responds for the first leg of its construction – John I carried out the largest reconstruction of the castle, which was also supposed to repair the damage after a big fire from the time before 1460. To the original heart of the castle was then complemented mainly by an ingenious fortification system that protected the whole naze. Ditches were dug around the castle and walls with new towers were built in the angles of the ramparts and inside the castle complex. The typical Pernštejn square tower grew outside the castle premises and was connected with them by means of two wooden bridges, which was to allow the last resort for defence and withdrawal in the case of seizure of the castle's core. The castle premises spread by new buildings to the prejudice of the inner yard, and the castle that lacked room began to grow upward. The main fortification system grew toward the north, the only possible direction where an attack could come from. The whole naze was built in this direction as a part of the fortress; it was surrounded by walls and diked by several moats with drawbridges. On the northern end there stood a tall semicircle renaissance bastion protecting the entrance to the spacious settlement around the castle with outbuildings. Another barrier on the way toward the castle was a mighty barbican whose 3 m thick walls with crenels for light firearms and a machicolation protected a narrow way to the entrance surrounded by ramparts. Even if the enemy got across another moat in the very area of the castle, they even would have to face the problem of conquering the only narrow entrance high above the ground to which a wooden ramp terminated by a drawbridge originally led. And then they would have to enter the rooms of the castle through a labyrinth of narrow passages and stairways where two men-at-arms could not pass side by side. The barbican belongs to the best-preserved examples of the late Gothic fortification element in the Czech lands.
The appearance of the castle changed once more – at the end of the 15th and during the first half of the 16th century. The reconstruction was started by William II of Pernštejn (1435–1521). He lived in the area of transition of the Czech lands from Middle Ages to Renaissance and managed to use the relative peace with his "economic" sense to a fantastic rise of the family fortune. At the end of the 15th and the beginning of the 16th century William II is an almost more important personality of interior politics than the Jagello kings. He strove for the unity of the Czech kingdom against the separatist tendencies of the Moravians, forewarned to encroachment of foreigners and of decline of manners. William II of Pernštejn is considered one of the most significant personalities of the Czech history and his political activity is often compared to that of emperor Charles IV.
At that time the castle grew by new halls: where it was impossible to move the walls further out cantilevers were inserted and jetties were made on them, therefore the upper floors of the castle have a bigger area than the ground floor. The entrance space was coved with diamond vault and the former tower cells were turned into dwelling rooms. The Renaissance style, which was brought to Pernštejn probably by the Italians, was promoted in the spatial concept of the new halls, and in the stonework on the reveals of windows and portals.
In the second half of the 16th century came the agony of the house of the Pernštejn. In 1596 they had to sell the castle. Much of the family's wealth and property passed to the Lobkowicz family, through Polyxena Pernštejn's marriage to Zdenek Vojtech Popel z Lobkowicz, Chancellor of the Czech Kingdom. At the end of the 16th century and beginning of the 17th century Pernštejn Castle changed several owners. Its i
Pernštejn Castle