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8. Culturally Historical Wandering around Slaný – Slaný – Short Round Trip

The track begins at the Information Centre in the Masarykovo náměstí Square, which is a historical centre and the heart of the town of Slaný, with acreage of 1ha, 35ares, and 13 square metres. The square remembers magnificent visits of rulers and noble people, the tumults of military bodies of all possible armies, and the delegations from distant cities. In 1425, the square was lit up by the fire from the meat shops´ pyres, where the victorious Hussites from the Tábor party burnt a large portion of the town´s defenders to death. There used to be a pillory in the middle of the square, as well as other means of the justice at that time (brakes, cages, and wheels with chains). The ultimate punishment was carried out by sword in a place of execution, which was always built for this purpose. The last public execution was carried out on the 1st September 1656.
In 1681, a Plague Column of the Holy Trinity was built in the square, which was, however, torn down and destroyed in 1920. The original round fountain from 1529 was rebuilt at the end of the 16th century. New fountain was built here in 1825. The fountain got its present appearance in 1873 thanks to the sculptor named Wurzel. In 2006, the fountain was restored on the occasion of a meeting of the V4 presidents.
The statue of the first president, Tomáš Garrique Masaryk, was dedicated in the Slaný square on the 28th October 2000. It was the work of academic sculptors Miroslav Pangrác and František Radvan, and the metal founder Petr Dvořák.

FORMER PIARISTIC COLLEGE
The Piaristic College was built in 1660 in the open space left by the houses destroyed in the Thirty Years´ War. It was established by Bernard Ignác Bořita, count of Martinice on the 1st July 1658. The Piaristic College with the Chapel of Virgin Mary served the purposes of educating the youth from Slaný and its surroundings until May 1939, when the grammar school moved to the new building in today´s Smetanovo náměstí Square. The left wing of the Piaristic College was the first permanent stage of the Slaný theatrical amateurs in the years 1846-1877. In 1939, the Geographical Museum moved to the building vacated by the old grammar school, and in 1960 the town library, today the V. Štech´s Library got new premises here, and the house is also the seat of the Slaný Information Centre. In 1997, a new cinema was built and open in the building´s back wing

ANCIENT UNGELT, HOUSE NO. 4
In 1377, Slaný was granted ungelt (dose of salt) from the ruler, against a loan, together with the office of "šrotéřství" (selling this salt at the town charges). The house from the 16th century was Late-Gothic originally, modified in Baroque, and newly restored in the 1st half of the 19th century. There is a passage with an original carriage way in the house, leading to the street named Štechova today. In 2007, the house went through a massive reconstruction

SLANÝ TOWN HALL, NO. 3
Is located in the area of the former town hall, being dedicated to the town of Slaný on the 23rd June 1378 by Charles IV, the emperor and the king. He gave a house to the town of Slaný for the purpose of building the town hall, being the emperor´s via the right after the deceased citizen Lukáš. The emperor made the donation with an explicit order that the town shall arrange this house to serve the purposes of the town hall. The original house was one-storey high, with a high gradational gable, windows, and high prismatic tower of a square platform, as high as the present tower, and with a gallery. The tower had an onion roof with a belfry decorated by a star. On the first floor level, there was a 24-hour astronomical clock, reminding the one in Prague.
In 1751, Michal Bořita, count of Martinice, had a new house built in place of the old town hall, which, however, completely burnt during the fire on the 2nd August 1795. In the years 1795-96, the town built a new town hall, equipped with tower clock with two iron dials, with two cimbaloms above them. In 1890, the town hall in Slaný went through other greater modifications, being arranged in a Renaissance style by Rudolf Štech, an architect from Slaný. The tower is 43 metres high, segmented into two storeys. There are dials on all sides of the upper storey, with a rectangular window with straight lining above and below. The corners are bottom-up encased by rows of rustic stones.
We will leave the square via the Velvarská Gate, to continue to the Hlaváčkovo náměstí Square.

VELVARSKÁ GATE
The last gate of the town of Slaný, and one of the few remains of the fortification at all. Factual reports mentioning the gate are from 1443, in connection with the sale of houses in the surroundings. It was renewed during the George of Poděbrady rule. The Velvarská Gate originally consisted of the actual gate, the pre-gate area with battlement, the bridge over dry moat, and on the left had side, in the direction of the Velvarské předměstí district, it was sheltered by a citadel. During the 16th century, the gate burnt down several times, and it was reconstructed. The last reconstruction took place at the turn of 1993-1994. The tower is 38 metres high. The carriageway is 8 metres long, 4.70 metres wide and tall. The span of the arch at the sides is 2.80 metres.

HLAVÁČKOVO NÁMĚSTÍ SQUARE
In 1869, Josef Hlaváček (1831-1911) was elected the next district mayor of Slaný, a native from Královice near Slaný. Josef Hlaváček entered the public life in 1864, when he became one of the founding members of the Civic Savings Bank. He was the head of the Slaný district as the town mayor for more than thirty years (1869-1903). By his authority, he also had merit in the establishment of three district charity institutions – a hospital, a sickness house, and an orphanage. He also greatly participated in the establishment of the District Economic Loan Office (1882), and in the building of the District House (Wilsonova Street). Josef Hlaváček´s merits in the development of Slaný were appreciated by his contemporaries already, and he was therefore appointed an honorary citizen of Slaný. On the 26th March 1930, the Slaný town council decided to name the open space encircled by the former sickness house, the orphanage, and the Winter Economic School after Mr. Hlaváček, in honour of the former Slaný portreeve and longtime district mayor.

HOLY TRINITY MONASTERY OF THE DISCALCED CARMELITES ORDER IN SLANÝ
Franciscan originally, now Carmelite Monastery in Slaný, was one of the first marks of the region´s restoration after the ravage of the Thirty Years´ War when it was established in 1655. The church itself was built in 1581-1602. The reconstruction of the church and the construction of the monastery took place in 1655 – 1670. The fire in 1665 made a reconstruction necessary; probably lead by Giovanni Domenico Orsi, an Italian architect. It was then that the church got the present open Baroque appearance, the semi-circled chapels on the sides, and the cupola vault. The Loreto Chapel with a statue of Black Madonna constitutes the centre of the temple, and its heart. The chapel was built in the centre by count of Martinice, after he returned from the pilgrimage to Loreto, Italy, in 1657. The monastery´s convent is inhabited by the Discalced Carmelites Order which has operated in Slaný since 1993, and it gradually goes through general reconstruction, including the adjacent garden.
Past the cemetery wall, we will walk on until we get to the Column of the Vine-Makers and the Fishermen.

THE COLUMN OF THE VINE-MAKERS AND THE FISHERMEN
The original column was erected as early as in the time of Charles IV, other resources date it back to the 16th century. It was originally placed below the St. Václav Chapel in Ovčáry, and then it was moved above the cemetery. The existing copy was made by Václav Nejtek, an academic sculptor, in 1943. The remains of the original column were transported to the Geographical Museum, but they were also used for the construction of the road to Velvary.

ST. VÁCLAV CHURCH IN OVČÁRY
The church was probably established in the pre-hussite era. The first written remarks date it back to 1465. The church has a polygonal chancel, with the actual isle obviously diverted, which may, apart from the technological causes, be given by the symbolism of Christ´s bent head on the Crucifix. The church was restored to get the present appearance in 2004, when it was also consecrated again.

SLANÝ SPA
The "spa" used to be situated in place of the present fire house in the 19th century. It was created upon the suggestions of the royal Austrian-Hungarian regional office in Slaný, and the former portreeve named Scharf. The citizens expected also healing effects, thanks to the existence of two wells under the Slánská hora hill, the famous "miraculous" mineral water from the legends. The spa was completed in 1843. It was also built with materials from the demolished Pražská gate (pulled down in 1841). Unfortunatelly, it soon turned out that the locality was not selected well. It was not possible to build additional spa buildings, or parks, and moreover, the water in Slaný was no miracle. The running of the spa was not profitable. The spa was finally cancelled in 1938, when the entire object was dedicated to the volunteer fire company. They demolished the building, and built a new fire station. The name of the street – Lázeňská ("Spa"), is all there is to remind of the former spa.

SLÁNSKÁ HORA HILL AND THE SLANÝ ("SALTY") SPRING
This stone massive of a volcanic origin gives character to the entire scenery. Slánská hora is a protected natural monument, and a nature trail, and a newly established forest park. The salty spring that used to rise from the foot of the hill probably gave the name to the future town. Due to an advantageous position in the middle of fertile land, but also due to protective reasons, Slánská hora was much sought after by the primeval inhabitants of our coutnry. Later on, a settlement was established under the Slánská hora, documented by two deeds of Přemysl Otakar II from 1262 and 1271.
The spring itself is connected with a legend of its discovery by prince Nezamysl and his suite. The hill of Slánská hora (330 metres above sea level) is a Tertiary eruptive rock of a volcanic origin, last active in 1726. On the 1st February 1998, the locality was declared as a protected natural monument, and it offers a nice view of the entire town.
At the top of the hill, there are three crosses, symbolizing the suffering of people from Slaný during the Thirty Years´ War.

PALABA
Famous "battery" in Slaný was one of the youngest in comparison with other industrial plants in town, but due to its rapid start, it was comparable to the Baťa plants in Zlín. The founder of the plant, Jaroslav J. Pála, put the modern industrial plant into operation in the beginning of October 1925. Production increase surpassed the former expectations. The following year, it was already necessary to further extend the plant, which was from then on called PALABA Slaný, and employed up to 800 employees. After the nationalization in 1946, the plant was renamed to Bateria.
In front of the rail crossing on the left, we can see the building of old slaughter-house.

SPEEDWAY STADIUM
On the way, we walk past the speedway stadium on the left hand side – The MOTO Club Slaný was established on the 1st December 1922. The idea of creating a speedway stadium in Slaný originated in the years 1948- 1949. The history of speedway races in Slaný began on the 13th August 1950. Speedway was, and still is, the most prominent sport in town. The officials in Slaný have always been progressive, which can be documented by the fact that in 1954, the electric lights were installed here, and on the 26th May, the first Czechoslovak race took place here under the electric lights.

RECULTIVATION OF A LANDFILL
In December 2003, a year-long recultivation of a former municipal waste landfill was completed. In the town´s history, there has been no enterprise comparable as to the extent of the earth works. In the memory of the event, a Mrákotín-granite rock of almost six tons was put up in the place.

HOLY SEPULCHRE
We will walk among gardens and we will take a forest path rising slightly uphill to arrive to the Chapel. The Holy Sepulchre Chapel is located on a hill in the southern part of the town. This imitation of the sanctuary in Jerusalem was built by count Bernard Ignác of Martinice in 1665, after he returned from Jerusalem. The original chapel is still standing in Jerusalem today. The fact that it has been an objective of pilgrims since time immemorial can be documented not only on old reports from their journeys, but also on minor works of art. We can see the images of the Holy Sepulchre on reliefs, on ivory boards, or as decorations on vials which served the purpose of carrying consecrated oils, wine, and water back home. The actual architecture has undergone a number of changes; it was close to destruction several times, and then modified fundamentally. The engraving created by Erhard Reuwich in 1483 is well known, depicting the chapel in Early-Medieval form, which was retained untill the fire in 1808, after which it was pulled down and built anew. The chapel in Slaný is formed by a polygonal core, and its front is structured by a blind arcade carried by columns of several types. The actual part is overbuilt by a polygonal-platform arbour with a bellcast roof. When we enter, we find ourselves in a so called angels´ chapel, where there is a blockstone on the floor, symbolizing the stone rolled away in front of Christ´s grave. Behind, there is the entrance to the tomb itself, where there is a range on the Northern side, where the body of Christ rested.
According to some sources, it is the oldest building of its kind in Bohemia. The chapel is a monument from Early Baroque.

COTTON MILL – HONORÉ DE LIESER
The original cotton-yarn mill in the Ouvalova Street was destroyed by fire in 1900, and baron de Lieser had a new, modern mill built in Kvíček in 1903. In 1914, it was built by the Ferdinand Přibyl and Sons Company. After the nationalization, the mill became a part of Benar, national entreprise.

THE "NA VYHLÍDCE" LOCALITY
Over the past years, archaeologists have been very active around Slaný. Among others, the exploration also took place in the "Na Vyhlídce" locality (former "Na Vejrovně"). The linear culture findings date back to 5 000 years before Christ.

GREAT LAKE OF SLANÝ
At the end of the 15th century, there were tens of extensive lakes in Slaný and its surroundings. The fishermen´s guild then was one of the richest in town, together with the winemaking guild. The hauls were events attracting people from afar. Fish, namely carps, pikes, and trouts, often got as far as to the royal dining tables. The first disaster for the lakes came with the Thirty Years´ War. A lot of them vanished then – there were no powers, no money to maintain the dykes, and water began to flood fertile plains. After the Battle of the White Hill then count Jaroslav Bořita of Martinice dealt the final blow to the lakes, abolishing the remaining ones. It took 240 years for the fame of the fishermen of Slaný to die out. Altogether, 97 vast lakes were abolished. There are no running waters around Slaný, except for several small streams with no fish. Sports fishermen would go to the rivers of Ohře, Berounka, Vltava, or Labe, which, however, were quite far away, and the most often used means of transport then was the train, cars were very scarce. Therefore in 1937, upon a suggestion of Jindřich Skorkovský, several fishermen got together and decided to establish a fishing club in Slaný. In 1951, the Great Lake of Slaný was built between the towns of Studeněves and Slaný, called a "Dam", later "Novas", serving the purposes of a flood pool for the town of Slaný. As the lake´s dyke was leaking, it had to be repaired several times, and the lake was planted with fish only after 1954. The Slaný lake was officially presented for utilization in 1956.

MULTIPURPOSE SPORTS HALL
Is situated in the south-west part of the town of Slaný.
Historically, 1978 was the year when the covered winter sports hall was open to public next to the functional athletic stadium with a slag track. You can also find a football field here, or covered swimming pool. There is ice stadium in the winter hall. The northern platform shelters large gym underneath, equipped for ball games. There also is squash and two bowling lines. In the fitness centre, all forms of aerobics can be practised. The stadium became popular mostly due to regular events organized here with international participation. One of these is the annual ice hockey school of Mr. Tomáš Kapusta – former international player and longtime extra-league player, playing in Canada, the U.S.A., Finland, and Sweden for several years, as well as similarly oriented ice hockey school of currently the best ice hockey player in the world, Jaromír Jágr.

nahoru ↑ tisk
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