Why go
Charles IV made Prague his residence and founded Charles University in 1348, placing the city at the centre of imperial politics. Jan Hus's execution in 1415 helped drive a religious movement that shaped Bohemia for decades; Tábor became one of its centres. Those two stories explain why medieval Czech heritage includes both royal ambition and religious conflict.
The full story
Charles IV turned Prague into an imperial residence and founded its university in 1348. That helps explain the concentration of royal and ecclesiastical landmarks in the capital: medieval Prague was a seat of power beyond Bohemia itself. The next chapter was marked by religious conflict. Jan Hus was condemned and burned at Constance in 1415; the movement associated with his ideas then shaped Bohemian politics and warfare for decades. Tábor became a centre of the Hussites, with Jan Žižka among their best-known commanders. The movement had different factions, and its radical wing was defeated at Lipany in 1434. A visit to Prague and Tábor therefore brings together two contrasting medieval stories. One concerns the royal court and imperial ambition; the other concerns reform, resistance and the contested direction of the Bohemian kingdom. Their dates are useful because they place these visible places within a clear sequence.