Wallenstein’s Jičín
Share
Jičín, with its remarkable historical sites, is undoubtedly an historic town, attractive to tourists. Architectonic sights from the 17th century are exceptional as they give testimony of the boom that this otherwise usually serene town went through. Thanks to the controversial figure of Albrecht von Wallenstein, Jičín stepped out of its shadow and for a decade became a seat of power basking in the sun of European importance.
Jičín went through its shiniest moments at a time when Europe was afflicted by the Thirty Years’ War. While other towns and cities were under siege, being burnt down and raided, Jičín was peaceful. The town was prosperous and busy with constructing buildings.
Whole blocks of medieval houses were demolished to make place for opulent representative buildings. All that – the demolition and construction – happened at a fast pace based on precisely designed plans. A palace for the reigning duke was built in the centre of the town, a suburban pleasure palace with a garden was built near the hill of Zebín, two monasteries were established, a grammar school for students from all over the dominion was set up, and a new suburb for craftsmen was developed. There were even plans of establishing a diocese and a university. The flourishing of Jičín was, however, only as long as the career of the man to whom the town owes its glory.
