Gold Coin 5000 CZK City Monument Reserve Tábor 2025 Standard

1/2 Oz Gold Coin - Tábor Municipal Monument Reserve

The historic centre of Tábor was declared a municipal conservation area in 1961. The town, which originated as a modern military fortress of the Taborites, today presents a unique collection of architectural monuments from the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque periods.

The oldest written record of the ownership of Hradiště Castle, surrounded by the Lužnice River, dates back to 1370. The castle was probably founded by Přemysl Otakar II around 1270 to protect the town of the same name. After it was burnt down, the town of Hradiště disappeared and so did the castle. The round tower Kotnov has been preserved from the old castle until today, making it the oldest monument in Tabor and the dominant feature of the town.

The history of Tábor is inextricably linked to the Hussites, who founded a village named after Mount Thabor near Nazareth in 1420. The Taborites wanted to create a new community of citizens who would live a simple life and follow only God's laws. This idea lasted only for the first few months, but was quickly followed by a return to the feudal system.
In 1434 the radical members of the Hussite movement suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Lipany. The moderate leaders of the community eventually managed to win the reconciliation of Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg. In return, on 25 January 1437 he granted Tábor town rights and made it a royal town.
As the population grew, so did the medieval town. The central square developed into a dense network of interconnected streets. A Hrusica fortress surrounded by strong walls was created. The fortification system, which included park and main walls, towers, bastions and protected gates, was unprecedented in its time. Its preserved part is now a valuable part of the listed town.
The construction of the Dean's Church of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor began in 1440 on the site of the wooden church on Žižkov Square. The late Gothic church consists of a three-bay nave with a net vault supported by octagonal columns. After repeated fires, repairs in Renaissance and Baroque styles followed. For example, Renaissance gables were added to the church in the 16th century, the tower was fitted with a Baroque dome in the 17th century and a new Baroque altar was added in the 18th century.

In parallel with the construction of the church, the town hall, one of our most important monuments of the late Gothic period, was built on the square. The magnificent town hall with its five-storey tower was completed in 1521 on three plots of demolished houses. The Great Hall was created by removing the second floor of the town hall. The magnificent space was topped with a technically precise net vault, the weight of which was transferred to the side walls and two slender columns. After the Vladislav Hall, it is the second largest hall in the Czech Republic. The town hall also underwent modifications in the following centuries. It lost its original appearance after Baroque alterations in the 17th century. Later still, the Gothic cruciform panel was replaced by the now typical Neo-Gothic gables.

In the late Gothic and Renaissance periods, the square and the surrounding streets were filled with the rich construction of townhouses. The great fires of 1532 and 1559 fatally affected the timber-framed houses. Almost exclusively stone was used in new construction and renovation. The houses acquired their present characteristic exhibition form, which includes decorated gables, frescoes and sgraffito. A set of underground passages also dates from this period.

The elevated position on the rock promontory was ideal for a military fortress, but also meant that access to water was difficult for the inhabitants. Tabor has been struggling with water shortages since its foundation and has gone through many solutions. The town's fountains as a source of water began to be built in the 16th century. The oldest surviving fountain is the Renaissance fountain on Žižkov Square. It underwent extensive repairs in 1877 and several renovations in the following decades. Other stone fountains from the 19th century, which are still functional today, were built completely new or rebuilt from the original fountains.

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