ŘÃp Mountain
| ŘÃp Mountain | |
|---|---|
|
ŘÃp from the south | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 459 m (1,506 ft) |
| Prominence | 200 m (660 ft) |
| Coordinates | 50°23′11″N 14°17′18″E / 50.38639°N 14.28833°ECoordinates: 50°23′11″N 14°17′18″E / 50.38639°N 14.28833°E |
| Geography | |
  ŘÃp Mountain Location in the Czech Republic | |
| Location | Czech Republic |
| Parent range | Central Bohemia |
ŘÃp Mountain (Czech: hora ŘÃp, IPA: [ˈɦora ˈrÌiËp]), also known as ŘÃp Hill, is a 459 m solitary hill rising up from the central Bohemian flatland where, according to legend, the first Czechs settled. ŘÃp is located 20 km south-east of Litoměřice, Czech Republic.
Geologically, ŘÃp is the erosional remnant of a Late Oligocene volcano and is composed of basalt nephelites containing olivine granules, amphibole, leucite and — among others — magnetite, so a local magnetic anomaly can even be observed there by the compass. The hill was bare until 1879 when MoÅ™ic Lobkowitz had it planted with trees. Today, almost all of the mountain is covered by an oak-and-hornbeam forest with some maple, pine ash, and linden trees. Some rare thermophile plants can be found at the few tree-less places on the top of the hill, such as Gagea bohemica and Iris pumila.
ŘÃp, being visible from great distance, has always been an important orientation point in the Bohemian scenery and has attracted attention since the oldest times. The name of the mountain is of pre-Slavic origin and probably comes from the Germanic stem *rÄ«p- which means "an elevation, a hill".[1]
Legend
According to a traditional legend, first recorded by the ancient Czech chronicler Cosmas of Prague in the early 12th century, ŘÃp was the place where the first Slavs, led by Forefather ÄŒech, settled. The land was named after the leader. In the 16th century, the legend was revived by Václav Hájek of LiboÄany who claimed that ÄŒech was buried in the nearby village of CtinÄ›ves and, later on, by Alois Jirásek in his Old Bohemian Legends from 1894.
Buildings
On top of the hill there is a romanesque rotunda of Saint George, which is one of the oldest buildings in the Czech Republic. It is for the first time mentioned in 1126, when SobÄ›slav I, Duke of Bohemia to commemorate his victorious Battle of Chlumec where he defeated Holy Roman Emperor Lothair III, have rotunda repaired and extended by the western circular tower. The present appearance of the rotunda is the result of a purist reconstruction from the 1870s. Inside the rotunda, there is a stone sculpture by the renowned contemporary Czech artist Stanislav HanzÃk (1979) - The Good Shepherd, that symbolizes the arrival of Czech ancestors to the country and the beginning of the Czech history there.
Near the rotunda there is a tourist hut that was built in 1907 that still serves travellers today. In accordance with the patriotic spirit of the time, a wooden plate is mounted on the hut wall that says "What Mecca is to a Mohammedan, ŘÃp is to a Czech" (Czech: "Co Mohamedu Mekka, to ÄŒechu ŘÃp").
Points of interest
The top of ŘÃp became a popular pilgrimage place and a frequent site of national manifestations and mass meetings. A famous manifestation was held there on 10 May 1868 when the foundation stone was taken from the hill for the newly built National Theatre in Prague. Tradition has, that each Czech should climb this mountain at least once in his life.[2]
References
- ↑ Profous, AntonÃn (1951). MÃstnà jména v ÄŒechách: Jejich vznik, původnà význam a zmÄ›ny, dÃl 3. M-Ř. Prague, Czechoslovakia: Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences.
- ↑ hora-rip.eu