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PRACHATICE | |
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It began as a small settlement on the Golden Trail in the part
called today Old Prachatice, and had the right to trade with salt from Passau. The Prachatice of today, built on the "green turf' after 1310, arose as a trade centre around a large square. In 1323 it was a town with the right to have fortifications, and King John of Luxemburg leased it the toll-gate on the Golden Trail for 18 talents of silver. In 1381 the town obtained a Royal Charter confirming its exclusive right to import, store and sell salt. Although Prachatice was burned down in 1420 by the Hussites and part of the town walls demolished, trade in salt continued to flourish, even after a ban on all trade with the Bohemian kingdom. The town was pawned sever ral times by the royal chamber until in 1501 it came into the hands of the Rožmberks. After a big fire in the early - 16th century the houses were rebuilt and ornamented with graffiti. At that time trade in salt on the Passau trail reached its zenith, up to 1300 barrels of salt were delivered weekly and the Prachatice citizens were among the wealthiest in the country. All the bigger was the disaster after the rebellion of the Estates when Prachatice was punished for its part in that - its property was confiscated, it lost all privileges and was handed over to the Eggenbergs. In 1848 the town was rid of its tributary relation to the Schwarzenbergs. Through the loss of its privileges and rapid stagnation the town managed to preserve a large number of buildings with remarkable graffiti ornamentation, e. g. Rumpál's house, the Literary Brotherhood school and the Hus house. Dominating the town is the Church of St. James (Jakub), founded at the same time as the new town of Prachatice. The triple nave has Late Gothic reticulated vaulting with cross ribs. Gothic carvings by Master Oplakávání of Žebrák are set in the monumental Baroque altar. Prachatice legends about gold in underground passages are based on a true fact that a local alchemist, Leonhard Vychperger of Erbach, worked in Prachatice under the patronage of Vilém of Rožmberk, as recorded by the Rožmberk chronicler Březan. The story goes that by transmutation, Vychperger succeeded in producing a large amount of gold which he hid in passages under the town, and that when the town will be worst off, the treasure will be found. |
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