Smečno, a city with a dragon history

It stands in Smečno, a town between Kladno and Slaný, to this day. Its real origin is documented at the beginning of the 13th century, when Bishop Bolezlav of Zmecen lived in the then wooden fortress. In 1418, the Martin family bought the Smečno estate and it was subject to them for another five centuries. It is interesting that during the promotion of Smečno to a town, in 1510 its name was changed to Muncifaj. It was a distortion of the Latin expression Mons fagi - beech mountain and was officially used until the 19th century. But it was never married.

In Smečno and its surroundings you will find places reminiscent not only of legend and aristocratic history, but also of recent history. The most important monument of the city is the chateau, now used as a home and hospital for the elderly, a home for the disabled and as sheltered housing. Only the park is open to the public, you can admire the maintained chateau at least from the outside. In front of the castle there is a sculpture of the Holy Trinity and the church dedicated to it is right away. It houses the oldest preserved organ in Central Europe. In the square you will find a statue of St. George fighting a dragon. Nearby is an obelisk reminiscent of the re-Catholicization of the manor. The last residence of each of the local Martinics is the Empire tomb in the old cemetery. If you go from Smečno along the main road towards Kačice, you will certainly notice the slender obelisk on the right side in the field. It is called pyram, or signpost, and was built in honor of Count Karel Jan Nepomuk Clam Martinic. He was the merciful and generous lord of his subjects, moreover, as a general during the Napoleonic Wars, he not only led the army, but also announced to the Allies the defeat of Napoleon and subsequently escorted him into exile on the island of St. Helena.

From the obelisk, you have a stone's throw to Smečenská ravine, where perhaps the mythical dragon lived. A walk through the canyon-like valley, which was dug into the marl subsoil by the Svinařovský stream, is a real experience. In some places, the water made its way through the sandstone, leaving behind gorge shapes. Thanks to the uniqueness of this landscape type in the vicinity, the valley, which belongs to the Džbán Nature Park, has been declared a Natural Monument. There are several access roads to Smečenská gorge. At one of them, on the road from Libušina Dol to Kačice and Smečno, you can admire the massive, centuries-old, dry, twisted trees.

When visiting Smečno, you should definitely not miss a tour of the reconstructed asparagus sitting next to the castle wall. The bunker was part of the Prague Line and was reconstructed and made accessible by fans of military history. They also gathered an ever-growing collection of military equipment. This military open-air museum is open on weekends from spring to autumn.

Author: Ivana Dondová