Memorial of Tadeáš Haenke

Memorial of Tadeáš Haenke is a Classicist monument built in 1825 on the bank of the Jizera River in Vranové I, a part of the municipality of Malá Skála in the Liberec Region, at the heart of the Bohemian Paradise (Český ráj). It commemorates Tadeáš Haenke, one of the most remarkable Czech naturalists and explorers of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Where exactly does the memorial stand?

Vranové I was once an independent village that became part of Malá Skála in 1953, together with Vranové II, Mukařov, Sněhov, and several neighboring settlements. The monument stands on the left bank of the Jizera, on what used to be an island separating the main riverbed from a mill race, between Malá Skála and the hamlet of Líšný. The surrounding area lies in the Bohemian Paradise, a region famous for sandstone rock formations and river valleys popular with hikers and cyclists.

What does the memorial look like?

The monument consists of a square sandstone base topped by a prismatic pedestal, which is in turn crowned with a sandstone sphere. Facing the river, the sphere carries the inscription "HENKE," while the pedestal bears a German-language text with the naturalist's biographical details. It was carved in the workshop of stonemason Ignác Martinec of Sestřenovice, the same workshop responsible for most of the objects making up the so-called Malá Skála Pantheon — a group of memorial structures scattered around the village.

Who built it, and why here?

The memorial was erected in 1825 at the initiative of F. Z. Römisch, a friend and countryman of Haenke, shortly after news reached Europe of the naturalist's death in Bolivia under circumstances that remain unclear to this day. Römisch, who was behind several monuments commemorating notable figures connected to the Malá Skála area, placed the memorial in this riverside landscape as part of a broader effort to honor such figures, rather than at a site directly tied to Haenke's own biography.

Who was Tadeáš Haenke?

Tadeáš Xaverius Peregrinus Haenke was born in 1761 in Chřibská, northern Bohemia, and died in 1816 in Bolivia. He worked as a botanist, ethnographer, cartographer, physician, and explorer, joining the Spanish Malaspina expedition before spending most of his later life in South America, where he carried out extensive natural-history research across present-day Bolivia and Peru. He is credited with the first scientific description of Victoria amazonica, the world's largest water lily, and is also remembered as the first Czech to ascend in a hot air balloon.

Is it worth a visit?

The memorial itself is a modest structure, but for anyone exploring the Bohemian Paradise it makes an interesting stop linking the history of science with the Jizera River landscape. It sits along the network of walking and cycling routes connecting Malá Skála with the surrounding villages, so it's easy to fold into a longer trip through the region.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the memorial in Vranové dedicated to? Tadeáš Haenke (1761–1816), a Czech naturalist and explorer who took part in the Spanish Malaspina expedition.

When was the memorial built? In 1825, commissioned by F. Z. Römisch, a friend of Haenke.

What does the monument look like? A sandstone base with a prismatic pedestal topped by a sphere inscribed "HENKE," alongside a German-language biographical text.

Where exactly is it located? On the left bank of the Jizera River, on a former island between Malá Skála and Líšný, in the part of the Malá Skála municipality known as Vranové I.