městské opevnění ve Slavkově u Brna Town walls

The town fortification in Slavkov near Brno formed a system of Gothic-Renaissance walls, probably already built in the 13th century. This monument in the village Slavkov u Brna protected the historical centre and today there are several fragments of masonry.

We have the first written mention of the site from 1237, when King Václav I. confirmed the property of the order of German knights. The key strategic location at the crossroads of trade routes from Brno and Currency to Olomouc, as well as in the valley of the river Litava towards Bučovice, Čejč and Hodonin, affected the development of the settlement. The territory was probably assigned by Moravian Margrave Vladislav I. Jindřich at the end of the 12th century by German knights who founded one of the most important commendations in Moravia. After the Battle of Grunwald in 1411, the Order lost the city and Slavkov became a royal city, confirming the award of the sign and seal of Václav IV in 1416. However, by the end of the 15th century, the city was repeatedly stopped by the country.

The walls closed the area around today's center in the shape of approximately trapezoid. The masonry reached a height of up to seven metres, supplemented by bastion in corner places, probably by a ditch and ponds on the river Litava. The system closed four world-oriented gates: the Bukovský gate in the east, the Brno or Spitálská gate in the west, the Rousínovská (or the Castle) in the north and the Rybnická gate in the south. This southern gate was named after the nearby extensive Tazus pond, which covered an area of approximately 140 hectares.

Since 1509, the town of the Kounice family was owned by the Kounice family, who had established their headquarters and owned it until 1919. The history of the fortifications is linked to Hussite wars, namely in 1425, when the city conquered and plundered the troops under the leadership of Hašek Ostrovský of Valdštejn. Despite the high walls supplemented by a moat, they failed to protect the city. After the Hussites left, townspeople began to rebuild the fortifications, but since the early 18th century the walls lost their strategic importance and gradually fell apart.

Today there are none of the original gates; the last, Clock Gate, was demolished in 1903. Several fragments of the wall wall have been preserved, which are protected as cultural monuments. These sections can be found on the streets of Hradec, Kollarov and Lidice, as well as at the castle garden. In total, eight objects are protected.

The remains of the Slavkov fortification are an important witness to the medieval urban and defensive architecture of the region. Visiting these remains allows a better understanding of the original scale and importance of this historical centre.