Hundreds of people in Prague watched the annual reconstruction of the battle on White Mountain
Update: 17/09/2022 17:15
Issued by: 17/09/2022, 17:15
Prague – Despite the rainy weather, hundreds of people arrived today at Prague’s Hvězda nature reserve for the annual reconstruction of the battle on Bílá hora. The program started at noon, and before the reconstruction, people could listen to a musical performance or watch infantry training. Hundreds of armorers in period costumes took part in the reconstruction of the battle from 15:00. The same program will be repeated on Sunday.
A weekend event commemorating the famous battle in which, on November 8, 1620, the troops of Habsburg Emperor Ferdinand II. suppressed the uprising of Czech non-Catholic estates, this year it was held for the eighteenth time. The reconstruction lasted about an hour and was accompanied by dramatic music specially composed for the purposes of the battle and a commentary by the actor Roman Štabrňák. The event is organized annually by the Civic Association Bílá hora 1620 and the Knights of the Czech Crown association with the financial support of the Prague Municipality and Prague 6.
On the battlefield, hundreds of foot armorers and dozens of horsemen in elaborate period costumes clashed, the battle was accompanied by shots from cannons, musket and pistol shots. Participants in the reenactment used replica rifles and cannons from the 17th century, and the battle tactics, according to the organizers, corresponded to how the battle actually happened, according to sources. After the battle, dozens of “fallen” remained on the square, and the reconstruction ended with a military parade of all the groups that took part in the reconstruction.
The entrance fee to the event is 200 crowns for adults and 100 crowns for children, for entry to the prepared stand with a view of the battlefield, people pay an additional 80 crowns. The main event was preceded by a performance by the music group Turdus and lectures on the development of firearms and the period of the Thirty Years’ War. After the end of the battle, people could listen to another lecture about the right to suffering with examples. Another musical performance ended the program today.
The event was slightly disturbed by the rain, but the rain showers stopped for the main part of the program and the sun started to shine a little. The event will continue on Sunday. Just like today, the program in the Hvězda nature reserve will start at 12:00 and they will be able to see the reconstruction from 15:00. Actor Václav Vydra will comment on the battle instead of Štabrňák on Sunday.
The Battle of Bílá hora was preceded in 1618 by the defenestration of Prague. At that time, representatives of the estates threw the deputy from the window of Prague Castle. Thus began a 30-year pan-European conflict in which Catholic and Protestant countries clashed. After the end of the wars, the Czech lands became part of the Habsburg monarchy for almost 300 years. The White Mountain period also came to be known in connection with the work of Alois Jirásk as the “dark age”, many historians reject such an interpretation as simplistic.