Stará Boleslav Hillfort

Stará Boleslav was one of the most important centres of the early Czech state. The mornings of the medieval castle arose at the beginning of the tenth century, when it was probably founded by Prince Spytizrál on an already populated position near an important ford through the Elbe. The site was not selected by accident - its terrain position on the terraced surface naturally protected the acropolis from attacks. In the south, she was defended by the passing Elbe, in the east by the Jizera flow, northwest by the marsh terrain. Thus, access was only possible from the northeast, making it easily defensible.

During the tenth century, the initial woodclay fortification was replaced by a new wall built from sandstone blocks connected with mortar. This change remained in the memory of the Chronicator of the Comas, who recorded it as a "Roman way" construction. The width of the reconstructed wall was approximately 2.5 to 3 metres. In 1993, archaeological surveys found the remains of this fortification in the dean's garden. It is the oldest preserved wall wall in the Czech Republic - an expression of the time when the construction technology had just changed.

The most important event in the history of the castle was the death of Prince Václav. On 28 September 935 here at the door of the church of St. Koms and Damian was murdered, probably as a result of a family dispute. The church was probably wooden and stood on an acropolis, which was the heart of the entire fortress. Part of the acropolis was the extensive Boleslav's courtyard and other shrouds arranged in separate yards.

After Václav's death didn't just become the piety of his memory. Prince Břítislav built the Basilica of St. Václava after 1039, where the remains of the Five Brothers were stored, which he brought from his invasion of Poland. Around this basilica there was another church complex in the end of the eleventh century. The church of St. Clemente was built here and the археologically documented church, whose floor plan is still marked in the tiles of St. Václava Square. A church was built on the forefront where the Baroque Temple of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was later built. All these churches used to be a burial ground, which suggests that Stará Boleslav was an important spiritual centre.

The actual fort spread over more than ten hectares. It was divided into smaller acropolis and a larger foothold, which was probably protected by a woodclay wall. The exact form of the fortifications remains unclear.

Today the archaeological location of the castle is protected as a cultural monument. The building remains are hidden under a new building, but several archaeological research, especially in the 1980s and 1990s, under the leadership of Jan Frolik and Jaroslav Špáček, brought valuable knowledge. The visitor does not see a massive fortress here, but he can imagine how the heart of an early Czech state beat here thousands of years ago - a place where some of the most important aspects of our history were written.