Lüdinghausen, Germany
1120
Mechernich, Germany
13th century
Mechernich, Germany
15th century
Hörstel, Germany
c. 1400
Morenhoven, Germany
12th century
Euskirchen, Germany
12th century
Heistern, Germany
1333
Lüdenscheid, Germany
14th century
Warburg, Germany
c. 1250
Bad Münstereifel, Germany
13th century
Salzkotten, Germany
1347-1357
Petershagen, Germany
1306
Bonn, Germany
14th century
Nörvenich, Germany
1400
Euskirchen, Germany
13th century
Harth, Germany
14th century
Schleiden, Germany
c.1300
Euskirchen, Germany
14th century
Euskirchen, Germany
14th century
Schleiden, 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.