Vitkov Hill

Prag · Tschechien · Natural site

Zizka ordered his skin stretched over a drum. The sound of it alone was to turn the enemy ranks and send them running.

On the steep ridge above Karlin, Jan Zizka's Hussites threw back the crusaders on 14 July 1420, and the horsemen plunged down the slopes in panic. The legend that grew around the one-eyed commander is among Bohemia's most repeated: as Zizka lay dying he is said to have ordered his men to flay him and stretch his skin over a drum, so that when the enemy heard it beaten they would turn and run without a battle being needed. The story was spread by the defeated themselves, who described Zizka as the devil in human form, and was written down by the future pope Pius II before Voltaire carried it across Europe. His equestrian statue, one of the largest in the world, now stands on the ridge looking out over the city he defended.

FAQ

Wo befindet sich Vitkov Hill?

Vitkov Hill liegt in Prag, Tschechien.