Bilá Hora (White Mountain) is one of those names that has resonated with me since I first moved to Prague in 2014 and after four years after first seeing the name on the 22 tram and getting to understand a little of the history of the Czech lands, I finally made the trip last week.
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| Catch a 22 tram to Bilá Hora |
It’s only a thirty minute journey on the 22 tram from Národní Divadlo, but unfortunately you will usually have to suffer the crowds of folk travelling up to Prague Castle - an early start is recommended, but the reality is that there is no escaping them, as you’ll get caught up on the return journey.
It’s worth doing your homework before you leave the centre of town. If you don’t have a decent data plan on your phone, download the maps before you leave (if you have got plenty of data you can still get a strong 4G signal once you get there). Few tourist maps cover much of the area to the west of the Hradčany but both Apple and Google Maps have enough detail to get you to the right place. If you head in a general NW direction from the Bilá Hora tram stop, you’ll have a short walk through an expensive looking residential area before you end up on a completely empty plain, covered in yellow scrub. At the top of a little knoll, you'll find the understated monument denoting the Battle of Bilá Hora which took place on November 8th, 1620.
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| The battle site of Bilá Hora |
The battle was fought in the early stages of the Thirty Years' War between the Catholic forces of the Holy Roman Empire, led by Emperor Ferdinand II, and the Bohemian Protestants under King Frederick V. The Bohemian army, of 15,000 men, was vastly outnumbered by 30,000 Catholic forces. In fact, the battle was more of a skirmish than a full battle and lasted only for about an hour, but it was enough to end Bohemian involvement in the war. Forty-seven Bohemian leaders were put on trial, and twenty-seven were executed in the Old Town Square in Prague (marked by the
27 white crosses at the base of the Old Town Hall).
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| Monument to the Battle of White Mountain |
The fate of the Czech lands was altered radically as a result of the Battle of White Mountain, ending some two hundred years of Protestant dominance, and triggering three hundred years of Catholicism and Habsburg influence, which lasted through to the late 20th century. The Habsburgs built a memorial chapel on the hill in 1700, and this was later converted to the Church of Our Lady Victorious. It is now also home to the nuns of the Venio Benedictine Community, and part of the wider
Břevnov monastery.
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| Church of Our Lady Victorious |
Today, little remains of the battle site other than the memorial and a few acres of undeveloped land which has been landscaped as a park. In the hour I spent in the area I encountered one other sightseer and two runners. Looking north from the monument you can see out towards aircraft activity around the airport, but over towards the east, jutting out from forested slopes, you can clearly see the Star Hunting Villa (Letohrádek Hvězda).
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| Star Villa - just right of centre |
Originally, this was a game reserve, founded by King Ferdinand I in 1530. He commissioned his son Ferdinand II to build the villa which was completed in 1556. The villa derives its name from its shape - hvězda, meaning star, as the building is shaped as a six-point star.
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| Star Villa- Letohrádek Hvězda |
I took a rather direct route from the Bilá Hora monument which I was to regret as it involved a very steep climb up through the forest surrounding the villa. It was well worth it but I'd suggest you find a better way and locate one of the main entry points from the road. The villa is set in beautiful parkland with magnificent tree-lined avenues extending in three directions from the main building. Once again, despite being the middle of summer there were very few people around - a few family picnics and some hardy runners, but no other tourists as far as a could make out.
Given this is only a thirty minute trip out of the madness of the centre of town this was a morning well spent; if only to find a little peace and quiet in a historical setting with a difference!
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