The Grosse Cloche is one of the oldest belfries in France, in the heart of Bordeaux. It was built in the 8th century AD to the site of ancient Gallo-Roman gate and restored in the 15-16th centuries. The bell was cast in 1775 and weighs than 7,750 kilos. The bell was used to inform and alert citizens. It is the symbol of Bordeaux and still in the city coat of arms.
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.