Hůrka Castle

The castle Hůrka is located on the right bank of the river Slava north of Old Plzence in the district of Plzeň-město. This early medieval settlement was established in the tenth century at the latest and became one of the major centers in Western Bohemia. The castle was built here in a strategically very advantageous place, near the forgotten roads connecting Bohemia to the powerful centres of the Holy Roman Empire - Řeznem and Nuremberg. Thanks to his position he became a regular seat of Czech princes and kings and a serious political player of the region.

The oldest written mention of the castle comes from the Thietmar Chronicle of 976, which describes the defeat of the Bavarian army in the Plzeň subdam. This battle was part of the military clashes between Emperor Ota and Czech Prince Byslav II. After the year 1010, there was a mint of its own, in which Prince Jaromíra was briefly minted. In the twelfth and first half of the thirteenth century, the castle flourished. Over time, however, it turned out that the islanders - for their elevated and long location - were not suitable for the development of the highest medieval city. At the end of the 13th century, the fort was replaced by a newly founded city in a lower position, which took its name from its predecessor. The original construction site, called Old Plzeň, was gradually abandoned and disappeared during the fourteenth century.

The preserved fortifications define an area of four and a tenth hectares, although the original fortified area was probably larger. The upper plateau stretches from west to east, from where it is accessible to the ground level. On the acropolis there was a church of St. Vavrnice from the second half of the eleventh century; Archaeological work revealed its foundations. The most significant element in the field is the preserved wall of acropolis, which reaches a height of nearly ten meters. This wall was originally made up of a stone front wall with a grate structure, which was poured out by clay. In the lower part the lower front was spread apart from the acropolis by another roll. This place still has the most valuable building relictum of the golden age of the castle - the rotunda of St. Peter and Paul. Its origin traditionally dates back to the tenth century, although there are opinions that it was created a little later. Today the visible form is the result of many modifications and reconstructions. There were five churches in the substation at the shores of the Realm, connected by the Brod; of which the Church of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist and the Church of the Birth of the Virgin Mary are preserved. Inside the acropolis was also the church of the Holy Cross from the twelfth century, the foundations of which were discovered during archaeological exploration.

Hůrka was listed on the list of national cultural monuments in 1978. Today you can return here after a yellow marked tourist route leading from Old Plzence to Ejpovic. Two educational paths lead to their own castle: "Old Pilsen and merchants" directly from the main route and "Old Pilsen" coming from the south. The remains of fortifications and free terrain remain accessible to a curious visitor who can imagine the rich medieval past and political importance of this place.