Tábor - Kotnov

Tabor

Remains of a castle converted into a brewery, also called Hradiště or Kotnov, situated on a large promontory, protected by the Lužnice and Tismenický brook. The castle and the town were built by Přemysl Otakar II. The age of the castle is documented by archaeological research, but it entered history only in 1370, long after the town's demise, when it was the property of the Lords of Ústí. During the Hussite wars in 1420, the castle and the town were rebuilt by the Hussites, who had previously abandoned and burned down nearby Sezimovo Ústí. The castle was connected to the town walls. Significant reconstructions were carried out in the 1530s, when its defences were strengthened. In 1532 the castle burnt down. At the end of the 16th century, the castle was gradually rebuilt into a municipal brewery. During the Thirty Years' War, the castle and the town were besieged by the army of the imperial general Marradas and after a six-month siege the town capitulated due to the exhaustion of supplies. At the end of the war the town was occupied by Swedish troops. The greatest loss was suffered in 1908, when the northeastern part of the castle was demolished. Only the southern part of the castle with the tower and a fragment of the parkland have survived. The eastern part disappeared during the aforementioned modifications. The northern part, facing the town, was damaged first and then the eastern part. Opinions about the castle's appearance are very divided. The early Gothic castle became a town castle, but because of its location it was not part of the town. The pentagonal plan of the castle was defined by a wall, which only partially survived in the south and north-east. The castle was fortified with at least four towers, but only one of them, a round tower in the western corner, has survived. Today it is a landmark of the town. Only the lower three floors date from the early Gothic period. Only the torso of the second tower has survived. This one stood on the opposite side of the south front of the castle, not in the corner, which is related to the fact that a palace probably stood here. A square tower stood in the north-western part of the site, next to the gate. The three towers did not project from the walls, only the square tower, which stood in the eastern part of the castle, towards the town. When the town was rebuilt by the Hussites, the castle parkland was provided with a new wall, which had no reinforcing elements and encircled the entire castle. The rebuilding in the 1530s attempted to incorporate the castle into the city fortification system, which was excellent for artillery defence. The appearance of the early Gothic castle with its towers is undeniably that of a French castle. Although it is a rather hybrid castle scheme, as the towers do not have flanking capability, the design was probably intended to imitate them. The reconstruction from the 1530s is significant - the battery tower is the oldest of its kind in our territory and represents one of the best fortification elements from the Hussite wars.

Sources:
Šmahel, F. - Drda, M. - Krajíc, R. - Máca, J. - Richter, M. - Tecl, R. 1988: History of Tabor : Volume I : Volume 1 : Until 1421. České Budějovice.