Tábor

The 1420s in Tábor were heady days for the reformers. Private property was denounced, and the many poor who made the pilgrimage to Tábor were required to leave their possessions at the town gates. Some sects rejected the doctrine of transubstantiation (the belief that the Eucharistic elements become the body and blood of Christ), turning Holy Communion into a bawdy, secular feast of bread and wine. Other reformers considered themselves superior to Christ—who by dying had shown himself to be merely mortal.

War fever in Tábor ran high, and the town became one of the focal points of the Hussite Wars (1419-34), which pitted reformers against an array of foreign crusaders, Catholics, and noblemen. Under the brilliant military leadership of the one-eyed general Jan Zizka, the Taborites enjoyed early successes, but the forces of the established Church and the nobility proved too mighty in the end. Zizka died in 1424, and the Hussite uprising ended 10 years later. Still, many of the town's citizens resisted re-Catholicization. Fittingly, following the Battle of White Mountain in 1620 (the final defeat for the Czech Protestants), Tábor was the last city to succumb to the conquering Hapsburgs.

Many of Tabor's original fortifications can still be seen today, including parts of the town walls and the elaborate system of underground tunnels running below the main square. The original purpose of the tunnels is disputed. Some sources say the townspeople used the tunnels to hide in and for storing ammunition during the religious wars; others say they were used only as cellars for storing food. Nevertheless, their scope is amazing. The tunnels run to some 10 mi in length. Tábor is also blessed with several nice places to stay. If you're in the neighborhood and it's getting late, consider a stopover.