One snowy January day we decided to go to see where the Battle of White Mountain took place. We found a map and saw a little dot in the middle of a large empty space just outside Prague. (The little dot was suppose to be the monument to the Battle.)
From previous readings we learned this battle took place on White Mountain or Bila Hora in the Czech language. It was an early battle of the Thirty Years’ War on 8 November 1620. There an army of 15,000 Bohemians and mercenaries under Christian of Anhalt were routed by 27,000 men of the combined armies of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor. The battle marked the end of the Bohemian period of the Thirty Years’ War.
Tram 22 would take us there. Riding to the end of the line, we got off in a residential area with a lovely old church called P. Marie Vitezne and a date over the door that said 1713.
We followed the road from the tram stop through a housing area to a very large open area we could see in the distance.
We came to a huge open area with a couple of cross country skiers racing across and a rather small mound in the distance. It was so cold and clear with the sun making all that white snow very sparkly and it dazzled the eyes!
Michael set off, walking to the Monument where a mother and 2 small children were having fun sledding down the slopes of the mound. 
The monument, of course, is written in Czech but the dates were there so we knew we were in the right spot! It was hard to imagine such a battle going on with horses, men and their weaponry; all fighting for their own cause. They say the Battle only lasted 2 hours with much loss of life. Hard to imagine because on this day, in January 2010, it was so serene!
Looking towards the airport. . .
And looking towards the Renaissance summer palace built in the shape of a six-pointed star. It was built in 1556 for Archduke Ferdinand of Tyrol. This palace was there when the Battle took place!
We walked through this neighborhood and on past the church to the tram stop.what a wonderful day! I could even imagine myself living in this area . . . there is something very special about the country and open spaces and fresh clean air.
Hi Karin,
Wonderful photos – you certainly chose the correct winter day to visit!
The battle of Bila hora / White Mountain also brought an end to the Bohemian Reformation & resulted in the re-imposition of Roman Catholicism. In turn, this produced all the ornate Baroque Churches that are such a feature of Prague architecture today. But it is also one of the reasons for the Czech Republic being such an irreligious country today. Roman Catholicism was imposed by Austrian/German speaking foreigners who suppressed Czech speakers. Therefore being a Roman Catholic was & still is seen by many as not being Czech.
I used to love reading your blog, but lately it’s been a little boring. I’ll still read it though =)
VegnomOctober 18, 2010 6:56 pmThank you for piotsng this.I’m going to Prague next year and it’s great to know that Prague has many things to offer.Could you please peek in Prague’s vegan restaurants?