Zülpich, Germany
12th century
Wachtberg, Germany
9th century
Niederzier, Germany
1280
Weilerswist, Germany
14th century
Zülpich, Germany
14th century
Blankenheim, Germany
11th century
Warburg, Germany
c. 1150
Meckenheim-Lüftelberg, Germany
15th century
Euskirchen, Germany
14th century
Lindlar, Germany
15th century
Euskirchen, Germany
14th century
Weilerswist, Germany
14th century
Zülpich, Germany
14th century
Preußisch Oldendorf, Germany
13th century
Wassenberg, Germany
13th 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.