Dub (tvrz, okres Rakovník) Motte

Welcome to Svojetín, quiet corner of Rakovnik County, where the time stopped today. You are standing in the place that in the Middle Ages was the center of local life, power and security. In front of you is a monument known as the oak, or under the popular name on the Old Castle. Perhaps at first glance you might wonder where the lock is, because your eyes see no high walls, no towers, no windows. But that's the secret of this place. You are standing in a fortress, which means that there are traces of a lost fortress in front of you, which has been lured into the ground for a century and became part of the landscape. Feel this atmosphere of peace and let us try together to reconstruct what once stood here.

Let us now return in time more than 600 years ago. To understand why this building was even built here, we have to move to the end of the 14th century. The first written mention of this place dates back to three hundred and ninety-three. The first known owner who was based here at the time was Jan Čihák z Dubu. At that time it was not a luxury palace, but a fortress, which was the basic form of fortified manor of a lower nobility. The fortress served not only as a home, but above all as a safe haven and administrative centre for the surrounding lands. Jan Čihák and his followers, such as Zikmund z Dubu, managed their domain here and, in the form in which the fort was at that time, had to be very dominant and formidable in the surrounding landscape.

Now pay attention to the terrain around you. Even though the walls are gone, the country still tells us its story. If you look carefully at the soil relief, you will notice that space is not exactly equal. Originally, this fortress had an oval or rectangular plan, which was distributed in dimensions of 100 times 80 meters. So imagine the vast enclosed space that separated the inner world of a nobleman from the outside world. Note, however, that today's similarity with the original plan is not complete. The southern part of this area with a gradual time has disappeared, mainly due to the ripening of the fields, which over the centuries has gradually absorbed part of the original fortifications.

Now try to focus on the very core of the fort. This is where the main residential area was located, which was 16 metres long. Even if you can't see any more masonry, feel the space where the main building once stood. This building was not just built on a meadow, it was carefully protected. It was surrounded by a deep moat and tall walls that were supposed to make it impossible for the enemy to access easily. Imagine how you once had to cross a bridge or cross a deep line in the ground to get to the lords of the oak. These moats and moats were a key element of defense at the time, making the fort a real fortress.

Who lived here and what was their destiny? Jan Čihák z Dubu laid the foundations of power in this place, but the history of this house was full of unrest. The Dubu family was building their position here, but the Middle Ages were a period of great change and conflict. The biggest of them came in a thousand four hundred twenty-one. It was this year, during the bloody Hussite wars, that a tragic end to the flowering of this fortress. The oak was destroyed during this period. Imagine the contrast when the silence of this landscape was suddenly overthrown by the thunder of weapons and flames of fire. The fortress that was supposed to protect its people was the victim of war chaos.

After this turning year, Dub never regained his formal fame. It became gradually a ruin that people around here began to see as something distant and forgotten. Historical records lead us to a thousand five hundred thirty-nine, when the oak is referred to as a barren fortress and a barren village. That's a very strong word. Abandoned space means a place where no one lives anymore, where no one works in the fields and where nature began to take control of human architecture. What you see today as a quiet meadow and mild terrain inequality was in the 16th century a silent witness to the decline of one noble family and the entire settlement center.

At this moment, you may be interested in one mystery floating over this place. Why is a fort called the Old Castle when it was basically never a lock in the true sense? The castle evokes luxury, large halls and ornamental gardens, while the fort was basically a functional military and residential building. This contradiction in the name shows us how people's memory works. For the locals, who have looked for centuries at the remnants of valleys and ditches, the word castle was a symbol of something noble and old, whether or not it corresponded to architectural reality. It's a fascinating display of how history turns into legend.

Today, this fortress is protected as a cultural monument. It means that even if we can't see the walls, this invisible architecture in the country is valuable. It is a monument to human effort, ambition and also fragility. You are standing in a place where the ambitions of nobles, the brutality of war conflicts and the patience of nature, all covered with a layer of grass and clay.

Now you are invited to slowly pass through the perimeter of this former compound. Try to follow the lines of the terrain and in your mind add to the missing southern part that once erased the plow of a peasant. Feel the silence that exists here today, and think about how many generations have passed, how many decisions have been made here and how many stories have been buried forever in the country.

Thank you for spending time with us at Dub Castle. We hope this short trip to the past has helped you see more than a meadow in this country. We wish you a pleasant further continuation of your journey and many other discoveries in the beautiful cancer region. Goodbye.