Schoenfels Castle, surrounded by a rampart and moat, was built around 1200. Its outer, lower and core castles form one of the most well-kept medieval fortifications in Germany. The castle near Zwickau was ruled by bailiffs in the 13th century but was ultimately claimed by the Wettins. The Lords of Weissenbach left a lasting mark on Schoenfels Castle when they modernized it in the 15th and 16th centuries. Some of the preserved features include the heatable bower in the newly created northwest wing and the Castle Chapel with its late-Gothic winged altar, its organ with wooden pipes and its richly decorated baroque pulpit. The closed complex offers fascinating insights into the living conditions of the castle’s former residents.
References: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.