Mnichovice Fortress

Welcome to Munich. Stop for a moment, take a breath and feel the silence of the surrounding countryside. You are standing in a place that may at first glance look like a common meadow or a slightly wavy terrain, but beneath your feet and in the surrounding area a fascinating history. In front of you, a location known as the Na Valech Fortress is spreading. It is a place where a tower fortress once stood, the seat of the people who lived here, fought and raised the country at a time when the Czech landscape was much more dangerous and divided than today. Even if you don't see any tall walls or grave towers today that dominate the horizon, the landscape itself tells you its story. Note the landscaping and atypical earth inequalities. These are the silent witnesses to the existence of this desolate nobility.

Let us now return together in time, deep into the 14th century. Imagine the time when the first scrubs and walls began to rise here. The fortress of Munich was probably founded at this very time as a typical residence of small nobles. At the time, it was not just a representative housing, but a functional object. The owners of these small chateaux had a clearly defined obligation, which was military service. They were knights and nobles who, if necessary, had to be prepared to go to battle for their master or king. The first written mention of the owners of this place dates back to three hundred seventy-nine. Names such as Havel z Mnichovic or Boten z Mnichovic are now just records in archives, but at that time they were people who decided the fate of the village and raised the surrounding territory.

Now pay attention to what surrounds you. Even though the fort as a building has died, its defense system is still visible in the field. Look at the surrounding space and perceive the line of hills and deepening. The fortification of this site was a very clever system of double wall and deep trench. Imagine what these moons looked like at the time of their greatest glory. It wasn't just piles of dirt, but carefully built barriers that were supposed to make it impossible for the enemy to have easy access to the main building, the tower fort. What is truly fascinating, however, is the way in which the moat was maintained. In the past, he was fed water from a nearby pond. The water was one of the best defensive weapons at the time. Introduce yourself as an assailant who must overcome a muddy, filled with water moat and then try to cross off a steep wall while being seen from a height by armed men from a fortress. This combination of water and land made Munich a safe haven for local nobles.

But the history of this place is full of breakthroughs. The key period was the Hussite wars that shook the whole Czech kingdom. It was at this time that the fort began to lose its original function. Military technology was changing, the nobility's needs developed, and the small tower strongholds could no longer provide such protection as before. In the year of the thousand and four hundred and thirty-six there is an interesting figure of Nicholas Trček from Lipa, who won the village for collateral. The Trčkovsky were a powerful family at the time, and their presence here shows the strategic or economic value of this place. Later, the name Henry Kekule from Stradonice was connected to the location. Each of these men brought to Munich a different story, different ambitions and different visions.

But over time, fate has changed. After joining the Hlashim estate, Mnichovice lost its role as a separate residence. The fortress was no longer needed as a military support point or as an administrative centre. In a thousand and five hundred and fifty, for the first time, a devastating sign appears in the written sources that the fortress is desolate. It was the beginning of a long process of extinction. The walls began to crumble, the wood rotted, and nature slowly began to take back what man had taken from her centuries ago. What you see today as a slight ripple of terrain is actually just the remnants of a once proud mansion that was consumed by time and oblivion.

But in order not only to see the emptiness, let me tell you about one interesting thing that brings us back to modern times. There was a grafted round well in the fortress area. The well was the heart of every mansion, the source of life, and in case of siege, the only way to survive. This particular well was a fascinating link between the Middle Ages and our time. It was located on the property of the house with the number seventy-three, and was preserved here until the year one thousand nine hundred sixty. Imagine people in the year one thousand nine hundred sixty could still see and touch something that probably existed here from the beginning of the fort. Unfortunately, however, the well was filled in that year. It's a sad reminder of how easily we can lose the physical traces of our history if we don't give them enough attention.

Today the Na Valech site is protected as a cultural monument. It's a place to think about the fleeting power and material things. You're standing here in a place where the fates of the petty nobles clash, where orders for military service were made, and where the dream of an inescapable fortress disappeared quietly. Even if you can't see the walls anymore, feel the atmosphere of this place. Try to imagine the sound of the hooves of horses, the noise of water in the ditch and the view of the surrounding landscape from the top of the tower that once stood here.

Now, I encourage you to take a slow look around and try to find out for yourself in the field for traces of the waves and ditches. Go around, see the shape of the earth, and think about the people who walked here centuries ago on the same paths as you. The Munich fort may have disappeared physically, but her spirit remained in the landscape. Thank you for joining me on this short journey in time. I wish you a pleasant exploration of this silent witness history and a happy continuation of your travels through our beautiful landscapes. Goodbye.