Podolí Fortress

Welcome to Podolí at Mohelnice. You are standing right now in front of an extremely valuable historical monument, which is the Renaissance nobility here. Raise your eyes and look around you. In front of you is a storey building of a rectangular floor plan, which is closed from above by a massive saddle roof. When you look at her silhouette, you realize a fascinating fact. Until today, this entire object has retained its original, authentic form without going through any radical modern modifications that would irreparably alter its face.

Let's go back to the past in the time oasis after oasis and see how this place came to be. The first written mention of the village Podolí itself is surprisingly old, dating back to the year 13-80-1. At that time, the property was divided into several different parts and only gradually evolved and the situation changed with historical turns. The key moment for the form you see before you was five hundred and fifty-one. That's when the entire village of Podolí became the property of Olomouc Bishop Jan Dubravia. He just gave the village to the peace captain Jindřich Kobylka z Kobylího. And it was he, along with his wife Anna of Kojetín, who decided to build a representative residence in this place corresponding to his position. It created a Renaissance fortress whose walls have been breathing through history for almost five centuries.

Now pay attention to the architecture itself. Take a closer look at the entire facade of the building and perceive its clean lines. You're facing a demonstration of Renaissance construction from the mid-sixteenth century. The names of the creators are missing in the historical sources and the architects remain unknown, yet the manuscript of the then builders speaks to us from every detail. The building has a strong yet noble impression. Note the overall composition of the storey object with rectangular plan and elegantly planted saddle roof, which has been sensitively maintained over the centuries. After all, the monument had to face the tooth of time, and so in the year twenty-four it had a very important rescue in the form of static securing of the building and necessary repair of the roof, thanks to which we can admire it in such preserved condition today.

Around this place are many fascinating human destinies and key historical personalities. Imagine Henry the Grasshopper of Kobyli, who rules here as a peacekeeper, and the atmosphere of the time when the mansion was born. The name of John XVI. Dubravia, an educated Olomouc bishop and a humanist historian, gives the place a punch of high ecclesiastical and political power to the then Moravia. And we must not forget the other important figures that shaped the history of the entire estate, such as the mighty Cardinal František z Ditrichštejna. They all wrote stories related to this region.

If you look at the historical documents, you'll find one very interesting and telling clue. In 1580, a detailed record was made in the town hall of Svitava. In this historical inventory, this whole fortress was officially valued at 500 gold pieces, which at the time represented a very solid fortune and clearly indicates the importance and value that the headquarters had for its owners.

I hope you enjoyed today's stop at the historic fortress in Podolí and that you enjoyed the atmosphere that this Renaissance residence radiates with full sips. I wish you a wonderful rest of the day, many other discoveries while exploring the sights of Mohelnick and seeing you next listen.