Bohemian wall
The Bohemian Wall is a fortification north of the Kollmitz castle ruins between the villages of Kollmitzgraben and Kollmitzdörfl . As a forward defense facility, this barrier wall is unique in Austria and is under monument protection ( list entry ).
history
The former castle Kollmitz was built on the northern bank of the Thaya to protect against invasions from Bohemia. As a result, however, the Thaya lost its protective effect. In addition, the castle was lower than the deployment area of the enemy expected from the north.
In order to compensate for this location disadvantage after the introduction of heavy firearms, a wall was built around 1450 at a distance of 300 to 400 meters, which cut off the meander of the Thaya on which the castle was built.
The Bohemian Wall is over 100 meters long and about 5 meters high. On the side facing the castle there was a battlement, the defenders found shelter behind rectangular battlements. The wall was reinforced by two towers at its ends and a gate tower through which the path from Kollmitzgraben to Kollmitzdörfl leads. The protruding towers have an almost square plan and are open at the back. The gate tower has a beveled pointed arch gate and was equipped with a drawbridge. The wall had a purely defensive character, as it offered protection from enemy artillery, but was not intended to be used to deploy artillery.
Only one attack is known that the Bohemian Wall had to withstand. An attack by the later Bohemian King George of Podebrady in 1451 was stopped here.
legend
According to a legend, the lord of the castle asked the devil for his help to build the Bohemian Wall within seven days. When the devil wanted to kidnap the client to hell after the building was completed on schedule, as agreed, the client refused and clung so tightly to the gate that his fingers left prints in the stone.
Up until a few years ago there were actually five depressions, the size and position of which could have come from fingers. However, these "fingerprints" were destroyed by vehicles that brushed against the gate and damaged it.
literature
- DEHIO Lower Austria - north of the Danube. Schroll, Vienna 1990, ISBN 3-7031-0652-2 .
- Karl Lukan : The Waldviertel book - cultural and historical walks. Jugend & Volk, Vienna 1982, ISBN 3-224-17608-3 .
Web links
Footnotes
- ↑ a b Kollmitz 2006. on the website of the Association for the Preservation of the Kollmitz Ruins.
- ↑ The Bohemian Wall. on: kollmitz.at
Coordinates: 48 ° 49 ′ 28.3 " N , 15 ° 31 ′ 50.7" E