Bedburg, Germany
13th century
Kerpen, Germany
13th century
Bad Honnef, Germany
c. 1200
Düren, Germany
12th century
Wachtberg, Germany
13th century
Herbede, Germany
1354
Warburg, Germany
11th century
Dahlem, Germany
13th century
Stromberg, Germany
12th century
Wachtberg, Germany
1337/1659
Bad Berleburg, Germany
13th century
Schieder-Schwalenberg, Germany
1228-1231
Velen, Germany
15th century
Euskirchen, Germany
11th century
Dortmund, Germany
13th century
Nümbrecht, Germany
11th century/1635
Mechernich, Germany
14th century
Hückeswagen, Germany
c. 1189
Vlotho, Germany
c. 1250
Wissen, Germany
12th 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.