Interesting Sites Nearby
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The current Autelbas castle was built in 1432 on the ruins of the old castle from the 13th century (destroyed in 1412 by the Burgundy army). In 1983, Autelbas Castle fell victim to a large fire and burned to the ground. It has been a ruin ever since. The last decade there have been some consolidation campaigns but it is clear that it still needs some considerable restoration works for it to survive.
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.