Revitalization of the battlefield at White Mountain

The memorial on Bílá Hora in Prague stands at the site of the first clash of troops in 1620; from there, the battle moved towards the Hvězda summer palace. The area surrounding today's memorial consists of a meadow surrounded by residential buildings, some of which extend into the plain. There is a worn path leading to the actual mound. The immediate vicinity of the memorial is well-maintained. Even today, the Hvězda summer palace can be seen from the plain.

Part of the task was to modify the plain area and enhance this location for recreational purposes.

The solution primarily relies on the character of the plain – that is, the battlefield. Terrain modifications suggest the appearance of the battlefield, where cannons were used to a greater extent. The craters scattered across the center of the plain serve both as a playground for children and dogs and as evidence of the historic character of the location. The craters range from 3 to 8 meters in diameter and 1.5 to 3.5 meters deep.

The original mound has been preserved. Due to the proximity of the tram stop, the access path from it is dominant in terms of capacity. However, its direction leads nowhere, hence it is symbolically terminated by the largest crater. From a compositional perspective, the Avenue of Czech Exiles is important, which connects to the second proposed path leading directly to the mound. The accompanying tree line gradually fades into nothing. Both paths are stabilized with laid stones, preserving the natural character of the whole.

The entire plain is complemented by trees that limit the impact of the residential buildings on the entire plain and enhance the natural feeling of the area. In the direction of the Hvězda summer palace, a strip between the trees is left open to maintain the view.

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Comment from the jury:
The strong concept of modifying the memorial site of the Battle of Bílá Hora associates the battlefield with depressions in the terrain - traces of projectile impacts: an abstract and artistically persuasive monument is also original landscape architecture.