A mountain, a high rock, to which the history of the city of Prague is attached and which stands above the river. Vyšehrad, our national cultural monument with a rich history. Vyšehrad has had many functions since it was built. And today I will tell you exactly what features and functions it has.
I have heard of Vyšehrad as a little girl. Old Czech legends are bound to him. The first one tells of the ruler Kroko, who built his settlement in Vyšehrad. After he died his daughter Libuše was called up to be a leader of the settlement, but men don`t like to serve a woman. Libuše than decided that she will send two messengers with horses to lead them to their future king. And that is what happened. They brought Přemysl, who was a ploughman. When he believed everything, he was taken to Vyšehrad and he ruled alongside Libuše.
We may not know if this is the truth or not, so let's talk about what we know exactly. The history of Vyšehrad begins around the middle of the 10th century. From the available sources, it is so that we have almost no information about what happened in the place of Vyšehrad before the 10th century. The first function Vyšehrad had was the function of a castle. Yes, you read well and yes at that time Prague Castle was also available. The Czech king Vratislav II, who was elected Czech king in 1085, moved the ruling seat to Vyšehrad due to arguments with his brother. As a result, many buildings were built at Vyšehrad. For example Rotunda av. St. Martin's Basilica Peter and Paul and the Basilica of Sts. Lawrence. All these buildings were built in Romanesque style. Vyšehrad was surrounded by stone walls. All these buildings were built in Romanesque style. Later, when Wroclaw II. became a priest and left Vyšehrad, the royal residence was again the Prague Castle.
Vyšehrad was restored again in a few years when Charles IV came to the Czech throne. During the reign of this king, Vyšehrad was attached to the city wall of the New Prague City, founded by Charles IV. In addition, the walls around the Vyšehrad were strengthened by towers and a massive gate named Špička.
When the Hussites came and attacked the town and unfortunately not only plundered Vyšehrad but also plundered the prosperities around it.
In the meantime, not much has happened at Vyšehrad. From the available information, I read that Vyšehrad was divided into lower and upper town, but it did not last long.
Then it was given the function of a Baroque fortress in the middle of the 18th century. Again the walls and the great gates were rebuilt. The best known is probably Leopold's Gate. However, this function did not work for anyone. Military Vyšehrad was not a good strategic place and was just damaged in times of war.
Therefore, since the 19th century, it is one of the national monuments, which became the symbol of the Czech nation. Vyšehrad has repaired again and also the Basilica of Sts. Paul and Peter were rebuilt. The well-known cemetery with the massive and famous tomb of Slavín was added to this basilica.
https://www.praha-vysehrad.cz/O-Vysehradu
From our external collaborator Tereza Kultová