memorial plaque dedicated to Jiří Bílek z Bilenberku

The memorial plaque dedicated to Jiří Bílek z Bilenberku is mounted on the façade of the prelature building on Horní street in Český Krumlov, close to the Church of St. Vitus. It commemorates a clergyman who, in the 17th century, stood up for the Czech language in a town that had grown increasingly Germanized after the Battle of White Mountain.

Who was Jiří Bílek z Bilenberku?

Jiří Bílek was born around 1588 in Rajhrad, Moravia. He was educated by the Jesuits, first at a grammar school in Jindřichův Hradec and later in Prague. After his ordination, he served as a parish priest in several towns, including Stolany near Chrudim, Chotěšov near Plzeň, and Pardubice. In 1642, at the request of the Jesuit order, he came to Český Krumlov, where he became parish priest and prelate at St. Vitus Church. In 1630 he was granted the noble title "z Bilenberku." He died in Český Krumlov on 25 May 1657.

Why does he matter to the town?

In the decades following the Battle of White Mountain, the municipal authorities of Český Krumlov pursued a policy of Germanization, curbing the public use of the Czech language. Bílek, as the first crowned prelate of Krumlov, consistently defended Czech-language sermons at St. Vitus Church and Czech-language teaching at the local school, resisting pressure from a Germanizing town council. For this reason he is remembered as a patriotic priest who kept a place for the Czech tongue in a town otherwise dominated by German-speaking administration and burghers.

The story of the plaque

In 1934, during the interwar period, the Czech minority in Český Krumlov unveiled a memorial plaque to Bílek on the prelature building (Horní no. 155). The inscription stated that here the prelate Jiří Bílek z Bilenberku had lived, worked, and died — celebrated as a famous defender of the Czech language at the church and school of Český Krumlov. The plaque was removed in 1938, after the annexation of the Sudetenland by Germany, when symbols of Czech presence in the town were systematically eliminated. It was not restored until 1997, in the independent Czech Republic.

Where exactly to find it

The plaque is placed on the left side of the vaulted entrance passage on the façade of the prelature building, close to St. Vitus Church, one of the most prominent landmarks of Český Krumlov's historic center. The spot is easy to combine with a visit to the church itself and a walk through the UNESCO-listed old town.

Frequently asked questions

Is the plaque accessible to the public? Yes, it sits on the outside façade of the building, so it can be viewed at any time during an ordinary walk through the old town.

Is it worth combining with a visit to St. Vitus Church? Yes, the church stands right next to it, and it was there that Bílek defended Czech-language sermons, so the two sites naturally form one historical route.

Why was the plaque removed in 1938? After the annexation of the region by Nazi Germany, the new authorities removed symbols of Czech national identity from public space throughout the Sudetenland, which then included Český Krumlov.

Is this the only place in town commemorating Bílek? The plaque on the prelature is the main physical memorial to his work in Český Krumlov, tied directly to the building where he lived and served as prelate.