Hunger wall
The Hunger Wall (Czech: Hladová zeď ) is a defensive wall on the Petřín (German: Laurenziberg ) in Prague , the Czech King and Emperor Charles IV. Was built to 1362 during the years 1360th He wanted to strengthen the fortifications of Prague Castle and the Lesser Town against possible attacks from the south and west.
The wall was originally 4 to 4.5 meters high and almost 2 meters wide. It was equipped with battlements , walkways, loopholes and probably eight towers ( bastions ) in front of it . The wall was built from the stone Planer (Czech: opuka ), which was formerly mined on the Petřín.
This medieval Liche defense led the Újezd (on the Lesser Town) along, on the Petrin to Strahov Monastery and continue to Hradcany . Because of its jagged appearance, the wall was also called Zubatá (with teeth).
history
The wall was repaired in 1624 and further fortified by Empress Maria Theresa in the middle of the 18th century . During its long history many other repairs were carried out, in modern times for example in the years 1923-1925 and 1975. Various passages through the wall were also broken and bricked up again.
Legends
The wall was only called the hunger wall after the outbreak of famine in Prague in 1361. Presumably during this time the urban poor found work and income in building. According to legend, Charles IV had the wall built for this very reason, as a sort of medieval job creation measure . The real intentions, however, were undoubtedly purely strategic.
This legend describes, for example, the Bohemian chronicler Václav Hájek z Libočan and the Bohemian historian Bohuslav Balbín . Balbín writes:
“Karl did it to protect the beloved city from the enemy, and also to provide a livelihood for the hungry Prague citizens. The emperor called the construction workers his dearly loved family. Every day he went to meet the people who worked on Petřín. He put on work clothes himself and worked several hours a day on the construction site. "
Interesting
- The bastions of the hunger wall have not survived. However, one of them forms the foundation of the dome of today's Štefánik Observatory .
- Alois Martin David , director of the Prague observatory in the Clementinum , used the hunger wall in 1804 when he wanted to determine the difference in the geographical length of Prague and Dresden .
- Franz Kafka got inspiration for his story “ When the Great Wall of China ” was built by the Prague Hunger Wall .
literature
- Julius Košnář: Staropražské pověsti a legendy (= sagas and legends from old Prague ). Vincentinum, Praha 1933, chapter: O Hladové zdi, p. 268 (Czech, available online ).
Web links
- Hladová zeď from PragueCityLine (Czech), accessed on November 27, 2017
- Hladová zeď at turistika.cz (Czech), accessed on November 27, 2017