Vítkov (mountain)

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The Vítkov from the northwest

The Vítkov (German Veitsberg ) is a is a 271  m high hill in Prague . The elongated elevation, which is largely covered by forest, separates the northern part of Karlín from the southern part of Žižkov . The national monument with the colossal equestrian statue of Jan Žižkas dominates the hill to the west, towards the city center. A 15 hectare park and a sports facility are adjacent. The Žižkov Military Museum is located at the foot of the hill .

history

National monument on the Vítkov

The mountain is named after the Prague councilor Vítek z Hora, who owned vineyards on the slopes during the reign of Charles IV . The hill gained historical importance during the Hussite Wars . In the Battle of Vitusberg on July 14, 1420, the Hussite troops under the military leader Jan Žižka defeated their Catholic opponents. Efforts to erect a monument to Žižka on the mountain have been going on since the 1870s. The equestrian statue and the functionalist monument were finally erected in the 1930s.

traffic

Four tunnels lead through the mountain. The pedestrian tunnel from 1953 connects the neighboring districts. From Žižkov north to Karlín there is a clear gradient.

The old railway tunnel was on the railway line from Prague to Turnov and connected the main train station with the Vysočany train station . In 2008 the so-called new connection with two parallel tunnels was opened. A bicycle path now leads through the old tunnel.

Web links

Commons : Vítkov (Prague)  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Vítkov Tourism Portal of the City of Prague
  2. Prague cycle paths

Coordinates: 50 ° 5 ′ 19.4 ″  N , 14 ° 26 ′ 59.9 ″  E