City walls of Prachatice, Medieval fortification in Prachatice, Czech Republic

The City walls of Prachatice are stone fortifications that encircle the medieval town center with multiple towers and gates forming a protective ring. The wall structure remains substantially intact and clearly defines the boundary of the historic core.

The oldest wall was built before 1381, when Prachatice was already described as a fortified town; Wenceslaus IV confirmed construction rights in a charter of 15 September 1382. A second, low parkan wall with a ditch followed after the Hussite capture under Jan Žižek. The outer ring was built in the late 15th century and finished around 1530, with nine round bastions, of which seven remain.

The walls mark the boundary of the Prachatice Municipal Monument Reserve. The parkan strip behind the outer wall was divided into gardens after the 18th century and now borders private houses; a section near the Lower Gate is open to the public as a park called Parkán. The garden of the Hospice of St. John Nepomuk Neumann holds another accessible stretch.

You can walk along different sections of the walls and enjoy views across the town. Information panels at several locations explain the structure and its role in protecting the medieval city.

The walls were built to protect a valuable salt trade that made Prachatice prosperous in medieval times. This commerce between Bavaria and Bohemia was so important that the entire fortification system was designed around defending this economic advantage.