23 Sep 2009 Artillery fortifications from the 18th century

A field fortification from the eighteenth century was discovered twelve years ago in the Lukášov area of Jablonec. It is the remains of an artillery chance from the period of the so-called Potato War and the Plum Fuss.

The fortification was discovered by the local vice-mayor Lukáš Pleticha during a walk with his dog. The remnants of the so-called Chance date back to the War of the Bavarian Succession, also known as the Potato War or the Plum Troubles. The controversy occurred during the reign of Franz Joseph II, specifically in 1778 and 1779. Although there were no major battles at the time, this period still marked a turning point in warfare. For the first time, positional, trench warfare was seen.

Artillery ramparts were built, as in the Lukášov area of Jablonec. It is the only such preserved monument in the area. "The historical significance of the found object appears to be considerable, given the state of its preservation, as similar buildings used to bePleticha emphasised that the local history of the area is also important in view of the fact that such buildings were damaged by agricultural production or forestry in the past.

According to archaeologist Petr Brestovanský from the North Bohemian Museum in Liberec, the fortification was built by Croatian soldiers from Varaždin who had a camp in the area. Emperor Franz Joseph II himself came to inspect the work, after whom the hill near the village of Milíře was named the Emperor's Stone. However, there was no battle and the soldiers withdrew after some time.

Pleticha dealt with this period. According to him, not much is known about the history of Jablonec in the 18th century. There is a lack of written records and the memory of the local people was "erased" with their removal.

"However, studying old books and maps, there are hints that the surrounding forests could hide something interesting from the wars during the reigns of Empress Maria Theresa and Joseph II. At that time Liberec was already at the crossroads of roads and was an important gateway to Bohemia. One of these roads also led through Jablonec. From Liberec it went via Kunratice, Lukášov, Rýnovice and Mšeno to Jablonec and continued to Kokonín, via Dalešice to Brod and then on to Jičín and Trutnov. Other roads were worse or did not exist at that time," Pleticha explained.

When the next Potato War approached, Vienna sent General Wurms' hussars from Varaždin in Hungary to protect the northern border. "They came in time. They were in command in Liberec and camped on the surrounding hills and villages. And as soon as they arrived, they began to prepare for the defence. They built chances, ambushes and redoubts in the surroundings to protect important places. There was new experience from previous wars, and it had been proven more than once that field fortifications in the right places can be very helpful in battles," Pleticha said.

Sources: www.mestojablonec.cz, www.sedmicka.cz, https://pamatkovykatalog.cz/