| Abstrakt: |
Abstract: Ottokar II of Bohemia (1253-1278) used several methods to strengthen royal power, such as building castles, founding cities, and developing rural and mining colonization. All these elements were used to cultivate “the forest known as Bezděz”. Under the oversight of the newly built Bezděz castle, a new “royal territory” was formed stretching from the castle N to the peak of Ralsko. However, the bold colonization and urbanization impulse remained unfulfilled. The king’s defeat and death resulted in his son Wenceslas II (1283-1305) failing to continue the project, which was picked up by influential noble houses and ecclesiastic institutions. The story of the region beneath the Ralsko highland is part of the 13th century mosaic when the Czech lands underwent a medieval modernization. |
