Jan Hus Memorial

The Jan Hus Memorial in Hořice is an eleven-metre sandstone monument standing in front of the former Commercial Academy building in this small Podkrkonoší town, a place better known for its long tradition of stonemasonry and sculpture. It shares its name and its designer with the far more famous Jan Hus monument on Prague's Old Town Square, but the two are separate works, made in different places by different hands.

Who designed the memorial?

The design came from Ladislav Šaloun (1870–1946), one of the best-known Czech sculptors of the turn of the 20th century and the creator of the celebrated Hus memorial in Prague. He completed the model for the Hořice version in 1911, and it was on the strength of this design that the town decided to build its own tribute to the religious reformer.

When was it built, and who carved it?

The foundation stone was laid in 1912, and the actual stonework was carried out by local sculptor František Vejs (1871–1951), who worked from Šaloun's model. The memorial was formally unveiled on 5 July 1914, a date tied to the traditional commemoration of Jan Hus.

What is it made of?

The monument was carved from Hořice sandstone, quarried nearby in Podhorní Újezd — the same stone that generations of local masons and sculptors have worked with. The finished memorial stands eleven metres tall, making it one of the larger monuments in the region.

Why does a town like Hořice have its own Hus memorial?

Since the 1880s, Hořice has been a centre of stonemasonry and sculpture education, a tradition that produced numerous notable works across the town and its surroundings. Commissioning a monumental Hus memorial — based on a design by the same artist behind the famous Prague monument — fit naturally into that local identity: it gave Hořice craftsmen the chance to demonstrate their skill on a recognised artist's design, using stone quarried right outside town.

What else is worth seeing nearby?

In front of the town's sculpture-and-stonemasonry school stand other notable works tied to the same artistic tradition, including the sculptures "Mrtvý Ábel" (Dead Abel) and Jan Štursa's "Probuzení" (Awakening). The town also has a memorial to Jan Amos Komenský by Pavel Jiříček, dating from 1892. Together these form a small but coherent trail of sculpture worth following on a walk through Hořice.

Is this the same memorial as the one in Prague?

No — this is a common point of confusion. The famous, much larger Jan Hus Memorial on Prague's Old Town Square, depicting Hussite warriors and exiled Protestants, is a separate work by the same sculptor, unveiled in 1915, a year after the Hořice version. The Hořice memorial was built independently, as a local realisation of Šaloun's design, carved in local stone by a local craftsman.

Frequently asked questions

Who designed the Jan Hus Memorial in Hořice? Ladislav Šaloun, who also designed the Prague Hus memorial on Old Town Square; he completed the model for the Hořice version in 1911.

When was the memorial unveiled? On 5 July 1914, after the foundation stone was laid in 1912.

Who carved the memorial in stone? Local sculptor František Vejs (1871–1951), working from Šaloun's model.

What is the memorial made of, and how tall is it? Hořice sandstone from the Podhorní Újezd quarry; the finished monument stands eleven metres tall.

Is this the same memorial as the one in Prague's Old Town Square? No — that is a separate, larger work by the same sculptor, built in Prague rather than Hořice.

Where exactly does the memorial stand? In front of the former Commercial Academy building in Hořice, in the Podkrkonoší region.