Chodovská tvrz, Medieval fortified house in Chodov district, Prague, Czech Republic
Chodovská tvrz is a fortified house with a circular layout featuring an inner courtyard surrounded by an arcade gallery. The structure displays Gothic gates and preserved Baroque vaults, with rooms containing restored stucco ceilings from different periods.
The site was settled at the end of the 13th or start of the 14th century, when Chodov belonged to the Zderaz convent of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre. A ring wall about 32 m across enclosed the fortified house, and its outer masonry survives in the ground floor. After the Thirty Years' War, Benedictines from the Old Town rebuilt it as a Baroque chateau between 1676 and 1728.
The fortress now serves as a cultural center where visitors experience art exhibitions and musical performances in its various halls. People gather here to spend time with contemporary works and classical concerts in restored spaces.
The building stands in a park opened in 2008, which holds playgrounds, a hedge maze marked in the lawn, minigolf, discgolf, an inline skating track and an outdoor gym. The park is surrounded by the panel housing of Jižní Město. The Chodov fortress is a cultural monument protected since 1958.
The medieval perimeter wall, about 32 metres across, survives inside the ground-floor outer masonry of the present building. The wooden bridge over the moat had a lifting final section, and a slender tower rose above the Gothic entrance arch.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,541 contributors worldwide.