Vodní tvrz Fortress

Welcome to one of the most fascinating, albeit inconspicuous sights in the area. Stop for a moment, take a breath and look around you. You are standing right where the water fort of Vlachovice once stood, which the local people also keep in mind under the name "Chestnut." Perhaps at first glance you might wonder where the fort is. If you're looking for tall walls, towers or monumental gates, you might be disappointed. But that's the secret of this place. There are no walls of stone in front of you, but traces in the landscape. You are on the southwest edge of the village, close to the river Vrára, and it was this river that was the key to the existence of the entire mansion. What you see today are archaeological clues, silent testimonies of the past, inviting us to reconstruct the image of the time when the nobles ruled here.

Let us now return in time more than 500 years ago. Imagine the second half of the fifth century, namely the year one thousand four hundred sixty. It is at this time that vladykové Vlachovští has built their new headquarters. At the time, the fort was not only home, but, above all, a safe haven. The Vladyks were a lower nobility that needed a place to express their status, but at the same time provided protection. The choice of this particular location by the river Vrára was not random. Water was the best defense ally at the time. The fort was designed to be basically an island that separated the inner space from the outside world.

Now pay attention to what this mansion looked like in terms of its construction. Even though we're only seeing leftovers today, we can imagine an overall plan. The entire fortress had approximately rectangular shape, its dimensions were about 80 meters in length and sixty-five meters in width. Try to encircle this rectangle around you. Notice the terrain. The original building was surrounded by a circumferential wall, which was a ground syllable, which served as the first line of defense. And right behind him was a trench. This ditch wasn't empty, but it was powered by water just from the nearby river of Vlura. So imagine a deep belt of water that surrounded the entire home of the flags. Whoever wanted in had to cross the water and then cross the wall. That made the fort a very safe place for then's circumstances.

Maybe you're wondering why we don't see the beautiful walls we talked about today. The answer is in human need and practice. Over the centuries, as times changed and the fortress lost its strategic significance, it gradually began to lose its weight. The locals, who lived and built their own houses, saw a valuable source of material in the ruins. The stone and bricks that once formed walls and chambers were gradually dismantled and transferred to the surrounding buildings. The fortress was so slowly, almost unnoticeably, transformed into a ruin, until in the end only these archaeological traces remained in the country we are studying today.

But this space was not just a pile of rocks, it was a ticket to the world of the then society. Vladyková Vlashovský established their roots here, but the owners changed over time. In a thousand and five hundred forty four, the fort was sold to the Podstatsky family of Prusinovic. With every new owner there were new stories. The history of this place is linked to a number of personalities whose names now sound like echoes from the past. These included Dorota Jakušičová, Ference Serényi, Ester Forgáčová or František Rákóczi. Each of them saw this place differently. For some, it could have been a luxury mansion, for others, just an administrative point within a wider estate. Imagine them going through the same paths that you go through, discussing politics, family matters, or management in the surrounding fields.

Now I want to take you to one of the most interesting and possibly exciting parts of the history of this place. Let us move on to the beginning of the eighteenth century, namely the year one thousand seven hundred and three. At that time, blood was boiling in the countries of the Czech crown and in the surrounding areas. There was an anti-Habsburg uprising. The fortress of Vlachovice was no longer inhabited at the time, it was basically an empty box, but that is why it was strategically useful. Austrian dragoons, who were riders equipped with weapons, used this abandoned fortress as their support. Imagine that in the year 1,000 seven hundred and three armed soldiers suddenly appeared on horseback. The silence of the forgotten manor was replaced by the rustling of horses, the shouting of commanders and the sound of metal weapons. The fort served as a military point until the year one thousand seven hundred and nine. It is fascinating to think that the place that was built for the peaceful life of the flags has become part of bloody military conflicts for several years.

If you look around today, you may see only grass and mild terrain inequalities, but that's the secret of archeology. What is invisible is often the most exciting. This fort is like a book whose pages have been torn apart, but we're still trying to read the rest of the story. It is a reminder of how fleeting human glory is and how powerful nature and time are. The water from the river Vlura, which once protected the flags from the enemy, has now flowed further through the silent current and carried centuries of history with it.

Now imagine the last painting. Close your eyes for a moment and try to hear the noise of the river, the sound of the hooves of the dragoon and the quiet conversations of the flags of Vlačovstí. Do you feel the calm this place radiates today? It is a quiet place that has done its duty and is now resting in the arms of the countryside.

Now I invite you to slowly walk around the perimeter of this invisible rectangle. Try to feel the terrain under your feet and think about where the moat might have been and where the wall was standing. Explore the surroundings, perceive the atmosphere of this quiet corner and let yourself be drifted by your ideas of the Middle Ages. I hope this short trip to the past helped you see more than empty space. Thank you for coming through the history of Vlachovice Water Fortress. I wish you a pleasant further journey and many other discoveries in our beautiful region. Goodbye.