While walking around Староместской площади, you will surely notice white crosses laid out on the cobblestones near the town hall and the inscription June 21, 1621. This place is associated with a terrifying execution that has forever entered the annals of the city's history.
Four centuries ago, in a single day, 27 Czech lords were publicly executed on this square. Among them were aristocrats, knights, merchants, and ordinary townspeople. All of them were accused of instigating the Estates Uprising, in whose flames the country burned for nearly two years. That is why Emperor Фердинанд II ordered that their execution be truly terrifying and enough to crush any desire to rebel again.
As if it were not enough that the 27 condemned men were beheaded before the eyes of thousands of shocked townspeople in just 4 hours... After the execution, Фердинанд II also ordered that the heads of 12 rebels be displayed on the gallery of the Староместской мостовой башни to keep frightening the residents. There they hung for nearly 10 years! After that they were taken down and... vanished without a trace! But that is a completely different mystical story, and in this city you can hear not just dozens of them, but hundreds!
