July 20, 1874: demolition of Prague fortification walls begins
Prague's fortification walls served as security barriers since the Middle Ages. Today, they are a testimony to the historical importance of the city.
The fortifications of Prague have evolved over the centuries, from early wooden and clay ramparts to the sophisticated brick walls from the era of Charles IV. The most famous part of the fortifications is the Hunger Wall, stretching across Petřín, which was intended to defend Malá Strana. According to legend, Charles IV employed the city's poor to build the wall in order to provide a source of livelihood for them.
Despite the fortifications, Prague failed to resist several enemy raids, including the Hussites and the attack by the Swedes at the very end of the Thirty Years' War. In response, Emperor Ferdinand III had a new fortification system built, measuring 14 kilometres with nine gates and thirty bastions, and declared Prague a fortress.
But even the new massive fortifications did not protect the city entirely. In the early 1740s, at the start of Empress Maria Theresa's reign, Prague was besieged by a coalition army of the Bavarians, Saxons and French. Under the command of the famous military leader Maurice, count of Saxony, the city was conquered and occupied for more than a year. In 1866, during the Prussian-Austrian War, Prague was captured by the Prussians without a fight. As a result, Emperor Franz Joseph I ordered the walls to be demolished.
The demolition started in 1874 and lasted until the 1920s. However, it was never completed and some parts of the walls, for instance at Vyšehrad, have remained to this day, offering a great view of the city.
