Městské opevnění

The town fortifications of Tachov, encircling the historic centre of this district town in the Pilsen Region, rank among the best-preserved examples of medieval urban defensive architecture in the Czech Republic. Their state of preservation surpasses most comparable sites not only in western Bohemia but also in the neighbouring German regions of the Upper Palatinate and Bavaria, and some scholars regard them as the most complete surviving town wall system in the entire country.

The fortifications were most likely constructed towards the end of the 13th century, shortly after King Přemysl Otakar II founded Tachov as a royal town. The walls as they stand today largely date from the reign of the House of Luxembourg. Despite their formidable scale, they could not prevent the town from being captured and plundered by Hussite forces in 1427. During the 19th century, all three original town gates were demolished, sections of the walls and several defensive towers were torn down, and the surrounding moats were filled in to accommodate the town's expansion.

The surviving walls follow an irregular circular plan and are built of rough-cut stone, measuring 1.4 to 1.5 metres in thickness and rising eight to ten metres in height. The system was originally reinforced by 26 prismatic towers standing eleven to fourteen metres tall, of which 21 remain standing today. Since the 1970s, the fortifications have been under active protection and regular maintenance as a significant heritage monument.

Tachov's town walls are listed in the Central Register of Immovable Cultural Monuments of the Czech Republic and form an integral part of the Tachov Urban Conservation Zone, proclaimed on 10 September 1992. Every year on the second weekend of August, the site comes alive with a variety of cultural events and performances that draw visitors from across the region.