“446 meters above sea level” may not seem extraordinary. But here in P\u0159edbo\u0159 u Prahy it gives us a unique perspective. We are a little higher.
P\u0159edbo\u0159 is a village in the St\u0159edo\u010desk\u00fd region. It falls under the municipality of Stran\u010dice. Stran\u010dice is four kilometers west of here.
Let me tell you about P\u0159edbo\u0159’s story. The first written record of P\u0159edbo\u0159 dates back to 1394. Oj\u00ed\u0159 of P\u0159edbo\u0159 held it in 1385. After his death in 1394 his son Ot\u00edk inherited the local manor. It included a farm a tavern and two peasant yards. Jan Str\u00fdc of P\u0159edbo\u0159 was mentioned in documents by 1407.
Before 1526 P\u0159edbo\u0159 was annexed to \u0160ti\u0159\u00edn. Later it was annexed to Dob\u0159ejovice. A fortress stood in the village. It was documented in 1614. But by then it was already deserted.
The owners of P\u0159edbo\u0159 changed frequently. Ji\u0159\u00ed Ale\u0161 Mo\u0161aur of Valdov owned it before 1626. He also owned Dob\u0159ejovice. In the mid-17th century Count Karel Leopold Carretto of Millesimo owned it. Lambert Franti\u0161ek of Harrach owned it from 1690 to 1696. After the H\u0159eben\u00e1\u0159s of Harrach the Mladotas of Solopysky owned it.
After 1762 the local estate was rebuilt into a Baroque castle. This happened during the Radeck\u00fds of Rade\u010d era. Jan Balth sold the P\u0159edbo\u0159 estate to the Piarist College in Prague in 1780. P\u0159edbo\u0159 remained in their possession until the land reform.
Today P\u0159edbo\u0159 is administered by Stran\u010dice. Stran\u010dice used to be part of it. Franti\u0161ek Mra\u010dek a cellist is a notable native of the village.
On the west side of P\u0159edbo\u0159 stands the Baroque castle. It is a simple two-story building. It was built on the site of the original fortress.
As you wander through P\u0159edbo\u0159 you are walking through centuries of history. Imagine the fortress standing here. Picture the Baroque castle rising from its ruins. Think of the people who called this village home. P\u0159edbo\u0159 is now connected to Stran\u010dice. It is a reminder of the ever changing nature of time and administrative boundaries.