Jindřichův Hradec - monument reservation

History of the town

A Slavic fortified settlement has stood on the site of today's Jindřichův Hradec since the 10th century, in which Jindřich I. of Hradec had a castle built in the Romanesque-Gothic style, which is first documented in historical sources in 1220. The Lords of Hradec belonged to one of the Vítkov family branches and as for them, for the Lords of Hradec the family coat of arms was a five-petalled rose. The name Gradec is first mentioned in 1242 and the village near the castle later developed relatively quickly and in 1293 it is already listed as a fortified town. The adjective "Jindřichův" began to be mentioned in the name of the town from the 15th century, after the founder of the castle.

The town was at the peak of its development during the 16th century, when important trade routes passing through Jindřichův Hradec, connecting the Czech lands with Austria. Brewing, draperies and fishing flourished here, and sheep were bred here. In the places of the northern suburbs, the New Town was built, which joined Jindřichův Hradec. Gothic buildings slowly began to complement the Renaissance, and the city grew so much that it was the largest serf city in our lands and the second most populous city in the Kingdom. Other cities did not overtake it until the 20th century.

In 1604, he married Vilém Slavata of Chlum and Košumberk by marriage, and later, in the 17th century, Jindřichův Hradec slowly began to stagnate. The other owners were the Černín family, who owned the local chateau until 1945.

Sights and interesting places

Perhaps the most sought-after place in Jindřichův Hradec is the aforementioned chateau, which was rebuilt from the original castle, built near the Vajgar pond.

The original fortification system was replaced in the 16th century by the city fortifications, of which part of it and the bastion of Solnice have been preserved to this day. Originally, there were three city gates, of which only the Nežárecká gate has survived.

The center of the historic core is a trapezoidal square with the column of the Holy Trinity and a number of Gothic and Renaissance houses, which were renovated after the fire of 1801.

Also worth a visit in Jindřichův Hradec is the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary from the second half of the 14th century, near which there is a Jesuit college with a Baroque church of St. Mary Magdalene. Directly opposite the Jesuit college is now a museum, the most valuable specimen of which is the largest folk nativity scene in the world.

Another dominant feature of the city center is the Minorite monastery with the church of St. John the Baptist from 1260.

Author: Andrea Štyndlová