Büren, Germany
1603-1609
Dortmund, Germany
c. 1100
Rüdesheim am Rhein, Germany
15th century
Harburg, Germany
11th century
Burghausen, Germany
11th century
Kaub, Germany
1326
Ahaus, Germany
1688-1695
Bergheim, Germany
16th century
Erfurt, Germany
1480-1604
Koblenz, Germany
1259/1826
Haßmersheim, Germany
c. 1225
Annweiler, Germany
11th century
Tecklenburg, Germany
c. 1100
Dilsberg, Germany
12th century
Neuburg an der Donau, Germany
1527
Eichstätt, Germany
1355
Bautzen, Germany
16th century
Schwarzenberg, Germany
12th century
Zülpich, Germany
14th century
Rathen, Germany
11th century
The Jan Hus Memorial stands at one end of Old Town Square. The huge monument depicts victorious Hussite warriors and Protestants who were forced into exile 200 years after Hus, and a young mother who symbolises national rebirth. The monument was so large that the sculptor designed and built his own villa and studio where the work could be carried out. It was unveiled in 1915 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Jan Hus' martyrdom. The memorial was designed by Ladislav Šaloun and paid for solely by public donations.
Born in 1369, Hus became an influential religious thinker, philosopher, and reformer in Prague. He was a key predecessor to the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century. In his works he criticized religious moral decay of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, the Czech patriot Hus believed that mass should be given in the vernacular, or local language, rather than in Latin. He was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe.