A cannon booms and shakes the high stone walls that surround the city, muskets fire in rapid succession and leave thick clouds of smoke floating in the afternoon air, and bearded men dressed as 18th century soldiers fight for conquest and glory. Olomouc is again under siege, and the town's modern day residents watch as overzealous war re-enactors mimic the founding of their city.
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Article written by Wade from www.VagabondJourney.com
On behalf of the Poets' Corner Hostel in Olomouc, Czech Republic
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Olomouc is an ancient city three hours outside of Prague in the east of the Czech Republic, and every year in mid-June re-enactors dress as old time Prussian and Austrian soldiers and do battle at the city walls to commemorate the famous 18th century Battle of Domstadtl. For two days the historic downtown of Olomouc is filled with military tents, racks of halberds, muskets, cannons, and large, bearded men in armor. These re-enacted soldiers take their jobs very seriously during this holiday, and the public can watch them strut about for a day and a night barking orders at each other, eating raw meat, and preparing their weapons for battle.

Soon it was time for the great siege, and as I walked to the place just outside the city walls where it was to take place, I wondered about the history of this long-gone war and why the city of Olomouc still commemorates it today. I was told that the impetus for the celebration was the seven years war and the Battle of Domstadtl which took place in the 1860's. During this campaign the kingdom of Prussia, under the command of Fredrick the Great, attempted to strip Moravia from the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria. The two forces met for a decisive battle in Olomouc, and the Austrians persevered, the city was saved, and the Prussians were sent packing.

As I watched this yearly re-enactment of the battle 250 years later, I became taken aback by how seriously the actors played their parts. I was told that they were mostly locals who grew up walking the same ground that they were now pretending to save. The actors yelled and screamed at each other, lived and died by musket shot, and essentially played out the ancient battle just as it happened in the 18th century. This battle was clearly not only a part of their city's history, but also a part of their very upbringing. The mock warfare that ebbed and flowed all around me was a piece of the re-enactors historic impression of themselves.

As I stood in the crowd and watched the actors fire cannon and musket blanks at each other in mock siege, I realized that history is still alive in Olomouc. After the Prussians were again defeated for the 250th time in a row, I walked away from the battle field with a proud crowd of modern Olomouc dwellers, and realized that they still live their history. I pondered what I had witnessed on this day as I traversed the cobblestone thoroughfares of Olomouc. I then looked up at the ancient steeples of the 600 year old clock tower, studied the ornate stonework that emblazes St. Michaels Cathedral, and tried to read the inscriptions on the numerous monuments that decorate the streets with reminders of times long gone, and I knew that I was walking in a world that could never forget the past. With this realization I, too, felt transported in time, and returned to my room at the Poets' Corner Hostel feeling as if I had found what I had been looking for in my European travels: a living slice of antiquity. The city of Olomouc in the Czech Republic is a hidden menagerie of European history.

Wade P. Shepard from www.VagabondJourney.com has been tramping around this here planet for the past eight years; he has wandered into the outback of Mongolia, lived in a monastery in Tibet, ate a puppy in China, danced with mystics in India, thought he was a gardener in Ireland, and got really lost in Patagonia. He wrote the above article on behalf of the Poets' Corner Hostel in Olomouc, Czech Republic. For more information about visiting Olomouc or the Czech Republic go to The Travels of Captain Oddsocks .