Městské opevnění (Vodňany) Town walls

The town fortifications in Vodňany include the remains of medieval walls, which have been preserved especially in the southern and western parts of the city. This cultural monument, recognized since 1963, is unique because, unlike some other Czech cities, the walls were not completely torn down.

The oldest fortifications were probably created in the early 15th century in the form of a palisade, which was later replaced by stone walls due to troubled periods and frequent attacks in 1395 and 1406. Oldřich z Rožmberka dissected the original palisade after taking the city. As a result of troubled times, the walls were expanded and eventually replaced by a double fortification with a park.

The architectural structure included double walls five metres high, supplemented by a park and eleven baskets or towers. The moat about twelve metres wide surrounded the city, which was accessible from four gates: Sandy, Budějovická, Bavarian and Nová. On the north side, where the river Blanice formed the border with the historical centre, the park was not built.

The walls have undergone many conflicts and building modifications. They were repaired during the wars, but the records from the beginning of the Thirty Years' War spoke of poor work and the risk of wall collapse. At the end of the 17th century, it was allowed to use the local brewery funds to restore them. In 1722, the fire destroyed the walls, and at the end of the 18th century, the park moved into the property of the houses, which led to the expansion of the buildings.

In the 19th century, castles lost their defensive function. In 1837 demolition was decided and in 1839 the Budějovice and Bavarian gates were torn down, which served as flats. It followed the selection of other parts of the wall for street development. In the 1930s, a survey of the state of the walls took place, but the lack of funds stopped their recovery. The first modern archaeological research took place between 1939 and 1940 and revealed the remains of barbacan. A detailed survey took place in 1999.

Today, preserved parts are protected as a cultural monument, with two of the original eleven baskets still visible and one publicly available. These sections of the walls are an important historical element of the city that allows you to look into the past of its defence system. If you visit them, you will get a direct look at the site of important historical events.