Rotunda of Saints Peter and Paul, Romanesque rotunda in Starý Plzenec, Czech Republic
The Rotunda of Saints Peter and Paul is a small round church with a cylindrical interior space and a hemispherical vaulted apse positioned toward the east. The building displays typical Romanesque features with its solid stone structure and simple, functional design.
The rotunda was built in the western outer bailey of the early medieval Hůrka hillfort, first mentioned in 976 and the main seat of the Bohemian princes in western Bohemia, which bore the name Plzeň until the late 13th century. Construction is usually placed at the end of the 10th century, though newer research suggests the 12th century. After the centre moved to the new Plzeň the building decayed and collapsed in the 15th century; it was restored in the 16th century and properly reconstructed only in the 20th.
The rotunda stands in the western outer bailey of the early medieval Hůrka hillfort, first mentioned in 976, which was the main stronghold of the Bohemian princes in western Bohemia and bore the name Plzeň until the end of the 13th century. Inside, copies of archaeological finds are displayed.
The rotunda stands in the western outer bailey of the Hůrka hillfort site in Starý Plzenec, about 9 km southeast of Plzeň. The interior displays copies of archaeological finds from the site. The building is a national cultural monument together with the Hůrka area, so access to the interior depends on the monument's opening arrangements.
The rotunda stands in the western outer bailey of the Hůrka hillfort, first mentioned in 976 and the main stronghold of the Bohemian princes in western Bohemia. Until the end of the 13th century this site itself bore the name Plzeň, before the name passed to the new town.
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