The Hussite Wars (
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The Battle of Vítkov Hill (14 July, 1420) was a part of the Hussite Wars. The battle pitted the forces of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor against Hussite forces under command of Jan Žižka (in English, John Zizka). Vítkov Hill was located on the edge of the city of Prague and the battle occurred in a vineyard established by Sigismund's father, Charles IV. The battle ended with a decisive Hussite victory.
The siege began on 12 June. The crusaders' forces, in the opinions of the chroniclers, consisted of 100,000 to 200,000 soldiers. In the opinion of Victor Verney, a modern historian, they probably had 80,000 soldiers. One of the most important points in the fortifications of Prague was Vítkov Hill. The fortifications on this hill secured roads on the crusaders' supply lines. The fortifications themselves were made from timber but they were consolidated with a stone and clay wall and with moats. On the southern part of the hill there was a standing tower, the northern part was secured by a steep cliff. The fortifications were said to be defended by 26 men and three women, though in the opinion of J. Durdik, it was probably about 60 soldiers. On 13 July, the Crusader's cavalry crossed the river Vltava and began their attack. On 14 July, Hussite relief troops surprise attacked the Knights through the vineyards on the southern side of the hill on which the battle was fought. The violent attack forced the crusaders down the steep northern cliff. Panic spread among the crusaders, which made them rout the field. During the retreat, many knights drowned in the Vltava. Most of Žižka's forces were soldiers armed with flails and guns.
After the battle, the Hussites had won. Crusaders lost about 100 to 300 knights. In honour of this battle, Vítkov Hill was renamed Žižkov after Jan Žižka.
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Statue of Jan Žižka on Vitkov Hill
The monument was unveiled in 1950 on the anniversary of the battle on Vítkov, in which the Hussites under the leadership of Jan Žižka defeated the Crusaders' troops in this place. The bronze monument has admirable size: it is 22 m high including the pedestal and the total weight is 16.5 t.
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Hora Vítkov si symbolicky pripomenula hrdinnou obranu husitské posádky, která 14. cervence roku 1420 odrazila útok rakouských a míšenských križáku a tím prakticky donutila Zikmunda Lucemburského celou križáckou výpravu ukoncit. Bitvy se zúcastnilo cca 50 válecníku v dobových kostýmech na oboru stranách.
Pro diváky byl pripraven bohatý doprovodný program (remeslné tržište, rytírské souboje, výklad a ukázka použití tehdejších palných zbraní, dobové tance a stredoveká hudba, apod.).