The Battle of Bílá hora in 1620 marked a dark and difficult time for the Czech nation. But few people know that this key battle was preceded by the Battle of Rakovník, which had a major impact on Bíla Hora. You can visit the exhibition on the Battle of Rakovník in the TGM Museum, where else than in Rakovník.
“The Battle of Rakovník in the autumn of 1620 is a very significant memento, especially for Bíla Hora, because two days before the Battle of Bílá Hora, the enemy troops were stuck at Rakovník for 9 days, and here due to disagreements between the commanders due to insufficient pay, provisions and bad weather all the problems of the army escalated,” said Kateřina Blažková – deputy director for the Rakovník museum and exhibition hall.
Over the course of nine days, the hostile troops left a lot of remains at Rakovník, so there is something to remember and something to show.
“Primarily field fortifications, field remains of field fortifications, a redan, a redoubt, and also a lot of lost objects, fragments of weapons, ammunition and the like. So, a number of objects that we exhibit here come from our several years of archaeological research, but I think that the main attraction is one of of the largest models of battlefields in the Czech Republic, where we show the distribution of troops in the vicinity of Rakovník,” said Kateřina Blažková – deputy director for the Rakovník museum and exhibition hall.
Each of those objects tells about the daily movement of troops on the battlefield. The success of the battles is then shown, for example, by the ammunition, because a very small amount of bullets deformed by the shot was found.
“This means that the success of that shot was not so high, there are more of them that are not deformed, but we also have a large amount of scrap. Here we see, we also have finds of ingot molds, that the soldiers cast their bullets right on the battlefield and often they It didn’t work. That’s an interesting statement. Then, of course, there are personal items, such as a gilded plaque with the motif of a kneeling soldier and a horse,” said Kateřina Blažková – deputy director of the Rakovník museum and exhibition hall.
It is a very popular motif from the beginning of the 17th century. In the museum, you can find it on a gilded bronze plaque that probably belonged to one of the Catholic officers. The Battle of Rakovník is unfairly neglected and there is often no place for it in school curricula. The public often gets to know her only thanks to this exhibition.
“I have to say that in terms of history and its significance for Czech history, the battle on Bílá hora completely surpassed that of Rakovník, but as far as the historical framework is concerned, that Rakovník significantly complements that of Bílá hora in that it had a great influence and a fundamental share on how the Bílá hora turned out, so we are already presenting it today with a series of events for the public,” said Kateřina Blažková – deputy director for the Rakovník museum and exhibition hall.
The exhibition of the Battle of Rakovník has been presented by the Rakovník Museum since 2015 and will last at least until the end of this year. From January next year, the museum will undergo a major renovation and the exhibition will move to the premises of the Prague Gate, where it will also undergo a significant renovation. So you still have something to look forward to.
