Technické památky jižních Čech
Pillory in Přídolí
During the feudal period, a pillory was a spot in the middle of the square where the dishonest citizens were punished. It was a place of shame, humiliation and agony. It was a wooden pillar or cage, later replaced with a stony pier. First pillory in Přídolí was made of wood and later replaced by the stony pillory in 1592 which has preserved up to now. The convicts were chained to the pillory and then handed over to the will of other people who were allowed to dishonour them by spitting, laughing, insulting and sometimes even hitting and stoning. Mostly, the quarrelsome women of loose morals and dishonest craftsmen and traders were condemned to undergo such dishonour. The pillory made the crooks unanonymous and helped to distract the others from the similar twisted acts. The folks were thus clearly shown that any cheating, stealing, assaults and thefts deserved cruel punishment.
