Tvrziště Smiřično Motte

Welcome to the village of Mříčná, in a place that may at first glance seem inconspicuous, but which keeps secrets from the depths of the Middle Ages. Please stop and observe the space around you. You're standing right in front of the Fortress of Smilicko. Look at the mild, grassy terrain in front of you. What you see is not just a random overgrowth of the landscape or a natural hill. It's all we have left of ancient centuries from a time when there was a knight's pride and need for security. In front of you is an oval, approximately two metres tall hill, which is now completely covered with greenery, but at the time of its glory was the center of local governance and administration.

Let us now move together in time much further back, to the mid-14th century. The first historical records of this place introduce us until 1356. Imagine a landscape that was much wilder than today's. It is this year that the village of Smiřično is mentioned for the first time in the documents and it is associated with the names of two men, John and Oldřich of Smiřičín. They were probably small nobles who set up their mansion here. At that time, it was not a magnificent castle with high walls, as we know from fairy tales, but a fortress which was intended primarily to serve as a safe home and symbol of power over the surrounding countryside.

Now pay attention to the very form of this monument. The Fortress of Smilierno was built as a so-called motte. If you don't remember that term, think of it as a fortress in an artificially elevated place. At that time, medieval builders often progressed by digging up a deep vertical moat and creating a hilly mound from the ground, on which they then built a residential tower or wooden palace. Look again at the oval shape under your feet. It is this grassy hilly formation that is the remnant of the artificial feed. Note also the strategic position you are in. The fort was placed near the confluence of the Buranka and the Mřichenský creek. Water was a key element at the time not only for survival, but also for defense. The streams formed natural barriers that made it difficult for the enemy to access and provide resources for the economy. Feel the calm that exists here today, and try to imagine how the water used to rustle here and how you could watch everything that was happening from the top of this hill.

When we think about the people who lived here, we must mention not only the founder of John and Oldřich, but also other personalities who connected their fates to this place from the Algum. History tells us that the fort has not been in the hands of one family for centuries. At some point, she was in the administration of the Pec masters, a significant noble family who played a role in the region. Later, however, the administration of this place came into the hands of the Valdstein family, one of the most powerful families in the Czech lands. Among the names that appear with this place are Jan from Valdštejn, who was involved in the transfer of the right to the Grass Church in 1439. It is fascinating to think that this small piece of land was faced with the interests of local nobles and great virgins such as Felix and Henry of Valdstein. Jan Tichava ze Smřečna is also a name that arises in relation to the history of this place. Each of them left a trail, although there is no stone or wooden beam in the original.

Now, we're going to stop at one of the real mysteries that this place covers with a cloak of mystery. If we look at the chronology, we'll find something very special. While the fortress is in full bloom in 1356 and still plays a role in property relations in 1439, something unexpected is happening in 1492. When dividing the grapevine estate, the fort in the documents is no longer mentioned. She disappeared. The simple record shows that the object was abandoned very soon. Why did that happen? Why did the nobles decide to leave their mansion at the creek confluence? Maybe the defense needs have changed, maybe a more comfortable mansion has been built around here, or perhaps the fort has destroyed a fire or flood that was unlikely in such a low position near the streams. This emptiness in the historical records from the end of the fifth century makes Tvrziště Smiřično a place full of questions. Today only silence and grass answer questions about exactly what happened here.

Now, when you look around, you realize that you're standing in a place where architecture, strategy and human ambition have come together. Even though you see no walls or towers today, this oval hilly terrain is living proof of how people in the early Middle Ages tried to control the landscape and protect their property. It's a reminder of the permeability of everything material. What was once the proud seat of the masters of Smiličín and later the Valdstejns, has returned to nature over several centuries and become part of the grid landscape.

I suggest you go around this fort slowly. Feel its shape and try to reconstruct in your mind where the moat might have been and where the main living space stood. Watch how the terrain is slightly wavy and how the hilly place differs from the surrounding surface. Let yourself be guided by your imagination and feel the atmosphere of this silent witness history.

This concludes our short journey to the Fortress of Smirřičko. I hope you could imagine what this place looked like over six years ago and that you felt a connection with people who once lived and worked here. In front of you, there is now room for self-reflection and exploration. We wish you a pleasant continuation in your discovery of beauty and the secrets of our landscape. Goodbye.