Marian Column in Hradec Králové

The Marian Column is a nearly nineteen-metre Baroque plague column standing at the heart of Velké náměstí, the main square of Hradec Králové. It was raised as a vow of thanks for sparing the city from the plague epidemic that swept through Bohemia in the early eighteenth century. Today it remains one of the square's most recognizable landmarks, visible from almost every corner of the space it dominates.

Why was the column built?

When plague began spreading across Bohemia in 1713, the townspeople of Hradec Králové set out on 6 November on a procession to Chrudim to pray before an image of St. Salvator. City councillors made a vow on that occasion: if the town was spared, they would erect a statue of the Virgin Mary in gratitude. The epidemic did indeed pass Hradec Králové by, and the city authorities kept their promise. The pillory that had stood at the centre of Velké náměstí was removed, and a pedestal went up in its place, followed by the column itself and finally the statues. Construction and carving ran from 1715 to 1717, with the whole ensemble completed in 1717.

Who made it, and what is it made of?

The sculptural group was carved from light-grey, medium-grained sandstone. Authorship remains disputed among art historians, who point either to Giovanni Battista Bulli or to Jan Pavel Cechpauer as the designer. The column rises from a two-part prismatic pedestal, surrounded by a stone balustrade set on a paved terrace. That balustrade combines a profiled base with a curved ground plan, prismatic cones, railings, and pillars topped with capitals and spheres.

Which figures decorate the column?

A statue of the Virgin Mary crowns the top of the column. Lower down, on the base itself, stand Saints Anne, Joachim, Charles Borromeo, and John of Nepomuk. Niches hold a second figure of St. John of Nepomuk along with St. Rosalia, plus a stylized city emblem showing a lion holding the letter "G." Four projecting pedestals around the balustrade carry statues of Saints Wenceslaus, Joseph, Sebastian, and Lawrence. Together the ensemble pairs Marian imagery with saints traditionally invoked against plague and disaster, a combination typical of plague columns raised across Central Europe in this period.

Where exactly does it stand?

The Marian Column occupies the centre of Velké náměstí in Hradec Králové, a square lined with historic town-centre buildings and located close to the old town's cathedral and other landmarks. Its central position makes it a natural orientation point and meeting place at the very heart of the city.

Frequently asked questions

How tall is the column? Nearly nineteen metres.

When was it built? Construction ran from 1715 to 1717, with the ensemble finished in 1717.

Why was it erected? As a vow of thanks for sparing the city from the plague epidemic that reached Bohemia in 1713.

Who designed it? Authorship is not firmly settled; historians point to either Giovanni Battista Bulli or Jan Pavel Cechpauer.

Which figures appear on the column? Mary at the top, and below her Saints Anne, Joachim, Charles Borromeo, John of Nepomuk (twice), Rosalia, Wenceslaus, Joseph, Sebastian, and Lawrence.

Where exactly is the column located? At the centre of Velké náměstí, the main square of Hradec Králové.