Burgdorf, Switzerland
11th century
Balsthal, Switzerland
12th century
Wildegg, Switzerland
13th century
Bottmingen, Switzerland
13th century
Vufflens-le-Château, Switzerland
1425
Tarasp, Switzerland
11th century
Porrentruy, Switzerland
13th century
Habsburg, Switzerland
1020-1030
Oron-le-Châtel, Switzerland
13th century
Lucens, Switzerland
12th century
Aarburg, Switzerland
c. 1200
Blonay, Switzerland
1175
Champvent, Switzerland
c. 1250
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.