Městské opevnění s Valdickou bránou Town walls

Welcome to the historic heart of Jicin. Right now, you're facing one of the most important symbols of this city, the Valdic Gate, which itself represents a living link between the rich past and today. Stop for a moment and feel the atmosphere of this place. There's an old town around you, and you're touching a line that once determined who could enter the city and who had to stay outside. This gate was not just a passage, it was part of a huge, complex system that protected the lives and property of the people for centuries.

Let's go back together in time deep into the past to understand how it all began. This whole city fortification didn't start with stone, it started with wood. At the beginning of the 14th century, the first security features began to be built here. Imagine a town back then that wasn't as strong as it is today. The original defense system was much lighter and less durable. The city then surrounded six wooden baskets, but they were very specific in their construction. They were built on stakes, which was a method at the time to ensure stability in difficult terrain. Three gates and two smaller goals were added to these baskets, which formed a network of passages for merchants and residents. At that time, the defense was more about speed and the town being clearly defined.

Over time, however, the city's needs have changed and the threats have become more serious. They had to prepare for a greater strain and therefore there was a fundamental change. In the mid-fifteenth century, namely between 1432 and 1439, attention turned to the protection of spiritual centres, which was reflected in the fortification of the church of St. Jacob the Elder. That was a clear signal that the city had to be stronger. But the real break didn't happen until the 16th century. That's when it was decided wood wasn't enough anymore. The city was fortified by a massive stone wall and supplemented with so-called park walls, which had space around the city to expand and strengthen even more. It was in 1568 that the main stone fortification was completed, which thanks to today's remains we can at least partially bow down to.

Now pay attention to what's right in front of you. Although most of the original system had long since died, the Valdic Gate still stands as a witness to the ancient power. Even if you think you can only see part of the whole, try to reconstruct the whole mass in your imagination. Imagine stone walls that were over an inch wide. It's not just an ordinary wall, it's a monumental barrier. And her height? Over five meters of pure stone, which had to reflect the efforts of generations of builders. Now, when you look at the fragments of the walls that you can see in the surrounding streets, you realize that every stone part is just a small fragment of that huge, impenetrable line that once surrounded the entire city. These remnants in the streets are not just the beauty, they are the bones of old Jicin, which still hold his historical face.

But in order to fully understand the importance of this place, we also need to look at the people who left their mark. These measures were not random; they were the result of political and power excites and ambitions of large families. In the history of this place, Trčkové z Lípy, who were extremely influential in the region and whose administration of the city shaped his fate, plays a crucial role. And of course we cannot forget the character whose name resonates in the whole Czech countries - Albrecht of Valdštejn. His presence and influence on the city were so strong that even though the walls changed over time, his legacy remains alive in the architecture and structure of the city. The whole complex, from wooden baskets to stone walls, is now recognised as a valuable cultural monument because it tells the story of survival and constant adaptation to the world.

And now I want to invite you to think about something that you can't really see at first sight, but that fundamentally affected how the city worked. Think about what was once under your feet. The urban moat surrounding the walls was not just an ordinary dug-up channel. It had a depth of over 20 feet and its most important element was water. But it wasn't water that was just poured in, it was water that was permanently flooded in the ditch. That was a fascinating yet complicated defensive property. While the flooded moat made it difficult for the enemy to access the walls, it also posed a constant challenge to the administration and maintenance of the entire system. This water was part of the life rhythm of the city, an invisible but powerful element that influenced everything from defense to the very stability of the surrounding buildings.

If you go on now, try to look at the city with different eyes. Don't just think of these walls as stone structures, but as a clue to human efforts, to seek security and to the constant movement of time. In 1684, new wall plans were even drawn up to prepare for new times and to build a seminar, which shows how the role of the walls changed from purely defensive to part of wider urban planning.

Now I won't hold you any longer. The city invites you to explore again. Walk the streets where you can still see the fragments of those old walls, and try to find your way to the other hidden corners of the old town. Every stone you see here has a story. Thank you for joining me on this short journey through time. Enjoy the rest of your walk in this wonderful city. Goodbye.