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Provisional editorial image for the Streetours route; review before publication.
Point 6 of 100 of 10 completed
Napoleon versus a 114-metre hole
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49.1945, 16.5989
On arrival
Find the historic well in the second courtyard and stand where you can see its circular opening clearly.
Look closer
Look down at the modest diameter and imagine the shaft continuing more than one hundred metres. The scale is almost impossible to read from the surface.
Napoleon does not conquer Špilberk for the view. He edits the building’s future with explosives and rubble.
This courtyard well looks almost peaceful. Strategically, it was anything but. Between 1714 and 1717 it was deepened from roughly 40 metres to an extraordinary 114 metres, giving the fortress a more secure water supply. Then Napoleon arrived in the story. During the French occupation of Brno in 1809, he ordered key defensive parts of Špilberk neutralised. Bastions were damaged, the armoury in the courtyard was destroyed and the well was filled in. It is a wonderfully blunt piece of military logic: if you do not want a fortress used against you later, make it worse at being a fortress. Špilberk officially lost fortress status in 1820. The castle survived, but one of its careers had just been forcibly terminated.
Accessibility at this stop
The courtyard is relatively level, though cobbles and paving joints may affect wheels or mobility aids. Keep a safe distance from the well edge.
These notes describe known conditions at this stop. Urban conditions can change, so assess the situation on site.
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6. Napoleon versus a 114-metre hole
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7. The Prison of Nations — but check the floor plan
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