VYŠEHRAD

Czech Republic

Vyšehrad ("Castle of the Heights") is less of a fortress and more of a focus for Czech nationalist history.

It's founding goes back to prehistoric times and the Romans recognised the tremendously strategic site of the rock upon which the fortress stands high above a bend in the Vltava, parts of the Roman structures of Vyšehrad still remain today, the only Roman remains left in Prague.

According to Bohemian legends, this National Cultural Monument is the oldest seat of Czech royalty. According to legend, the wise chieftain Krok built a castle here in the 7th century. Libuse, the cleverest of his three daughters, prophesied that a great city would rise here. One of the oldest surviving fortified parts of the fortress, overhanging the River, is known as Libuse's bath.

Vratislav II (1061-1092) began the construction of a fortification here and moved his Royal Seat from Prague Castle (just a couple of miles up river) to here.  Charles IV revived the importance of Vyšehrad by declaring that the monarch must spend the night before his coronation in the fortress.

The oldest surviving building in Vyšehrad is the Rotunda of St. Martin dating from the 11th century.  The massive Church of St. Peter and St. Paul whose twin spires dominate most views of Vyšehrad was built shortly afterwards, but took its present form in the 13th Century.

The Hussite Wars put an end to Vyšehrad's importance, they took both Prague Castle and Vyšehrad.  In 1420 a long siege came to an end when the garrison was starved out of the fortress.

Some years later Ferdinand III decided it was time to rebuild Vyšehrad as a modern fortress, the year was 1654 - only a few years before the Swedish army had easily taken the dilapidated Vyšehrad and gone on to have their famous battle on the Charles Bridge before taking Prague Castle and the City with it.

Vyšehrad was rebuilt with brick-faced earthen walls and star-shaped bastions in the style of 17th century military architecture and it is this fortress that basically remains today.  A near disaster was narrowly averted in 1744 when gunpowder stored in the walls was ignited. Prague at the time was occupied by the Prussians. The imperial armies managed to push them out of the Czech countries. The Prussians wanted to leave the city in ruins and Vyšehrad with it. Therefore they lit a charge of explosives. However, three Vyšehrad citizens, by occupation a wheelright, a tailor and a goldsmith, penetrated the underground passageways and extinguished the fuses of 133 barrels of gunpowder.

When the Czech Nationalist movement started Vyšehrad became one of its focal points, particularly the cemetery of the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul.  Today the graveyard holds monuments to most famous Prague citizens, including Smetana and .  It is a fascinating place to visit, although not strictly a Castle, it's long history and importance to Czech history must surely allow a point to be stretched.

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2001