Zatecka brana/Zatec gate Mystery Cache

Louny

Kralovske mesto Louny patrilo ve stredoveku mezi deset nejbohatsich mest v Cechach. I pres straslivy pozar v roce 1517 jeste v roce 1543 podle placeni dani bylo na sestem miste. V okoli se pestovalo dobre vino, které Vaclav IV povazoval za nejlepsi. A nejen on. Kazdorocne se pri volbe konselu na radnici vypil cely sud, coz je 426 litru. Pri neurode byval vydavan zakaz piti vina, ten se vsak na rathaus nevztahoval. Roboty a poddanske dane byvaly v okoli mirne a platili se na sv. Jiri a sv. Havla. Ke stavebnim skvostum te doby patri bezesporu kostel sv. Mikulase od Benedikta Rejta. Lounsti vsak vice obdivovali kasnu s osvetlenou fontanou, kterou postavil Vicenc, lounskymi zvany Strasryba.
Ackoliv ve meste byli volnomyslenkari, kteri pochybovali o Bohu a dokazali se s fararem pohadat i poprat, byli k sobe tvrdi. Odsouzence na smrt pri ceste na sibenici mucili stahovanim kuze, palenim i vytrhavanim kusu masa. Za znecistovani ulic dokazali souseda vyhnat ze mesta. A za prokazane cizolozstvi byly velke pokuty, které mesto pouzilo na opravy hradeb, aby se dotycny hrisnik mohl presvedcit, co se za jeho penize zbudovalo.

Od zalozeni mesta v 60.letech 13. stoleti chranil Louny venec hradeb se dvema branami, Prazskou a Zateckou. Zatimco Prazska, ktera stavala priblizne v mistech dnesnich Divcich skol byla po etapach strzena v 19.stoleti, Zatecka se dochovala dodnes. Dnesni Zatecka brana byla ale postavena az v roce 1500 jako predbraní (neboli barbakan) v dobe, kdy se dokoncovala celkova rekonstrukce mestskeho opevneni, ktere se rozsirilo na zapad a na jih. Puvodni goticka prujezdni vez – vlastní Zatecka brana – stavala na rozhrani domu cp. 10 a 11 v Zatecke ulici. Mezi obema branami (gotickou a dnesni) byl prikop, pres ktery vedl v 15. – 17. stoleti kamenný most. Na moste staly kramy, ktere mesto pronajimalo sevcum, nozirum a zamecnikum. Tomuto prostoru, obehnanemu zdi s drevenym podsebitim, se rikalo Mezi Zateckymi branami. Ve vnitrní hranolovite vezi sidlil branny, mestem placeny urednik. K jeho povinnostem patrila pomoc pri vybirani cla, uzavirani brany v dobe obeda a kazani v kostele a dohled na osoby, ktere do mesta prichazely. Hodinu po zapadu slunce musel branny branu uzavrit a klic donest do domu purkmistra. Toto narizeni platilo jeste na zacatku 18. stoleti.
Od sveho pocatku plnila dnesni Zatecka brana zejmena funkci reprezentacniho vstupu do mesta. Odpovidala tomu vyzdoba jejiho zapadniho pruceli, z nehoz se dochovalo jen torzo. Ustrednim motivem vyzdoby je mestsky znak s kralovskym emblemem W (Vladislav Jagelonsky), jehoz stit opatruji dva andele s rozepjatymi kridly. Pod znakem jsou tri latinske napisy , ktere prelozeny zneji takto :

The first written mention of Louny dates back to 1115, when it belonged to the property of Kladruby Monastery. This Romanesque settlement was situated in the place of today’s Church of St Peter, by the ford across the River Ohre. As a royal town, Louny was founded by the river, about 1 kilometre in the eastern direction of the original settlement, some time in the 1260s, during the reign of Premysl Otakar II. The foundation of the town, motivated by its location on an important route from Prague to Germany, was carried out with a crucial participation of settlers from Saxony. The town was founded simultaneously with a Dominican monastery which, however, was destroyed during the Hussite Wars. During the reign of Luxembourg kings, the town experienced boom based on intensive trades and agricultural production, grain and wine growing especially. Louny and its neighbouring town Žatec created a military alliance during the Hussite Wars. Its captain was the famous warrior Jakoubek of Vresovice in the 1420s. Louny confiscated vast plots of land that were left after the destroyed monasteries. Nevertheless, it had to give them back during the reign of Jirí of Podebrady. After a devastating fire in 1517, the town was rebuilt and a new Church of St Nicolas was built. The local town school achieved a great reputation in the 16th century and wine growing began to thrive. Louny dwindled in importance after the Thirty Years´ War. In the middle of the 19th century, Louny became the seat of the district office. Vast demolitions inside its historical centre were carried out during the 19th century and the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, attractive Renaissance houses, the town hall and town gates disappeared. Louny has always been situated on the Czech-German language edge, but its clearly Czech character has survived through its whole history.

Late Gothic, prismatic with a lancet arch from 1500, municipal coat-of-arms on a west front. By the sides of a carriage-way are stone memorials with Latin signs and a date 1500. The gate was in 1872 reconstructed (pseudo-Gothic parapet). Inscriptions are on gate :

It´s up to you. The place is really crowded, so, be very carefull, please ! I recommend you look for cache in the evening and nigh. Lighting tower of St. Nicholas and fortifications is very nice. I wish you happy hunting and let „Dominus custoderit“ this cache.

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