Statue of Jan Hus in Husinec

The Statue of Jan Hus in Husinec stands on a small square in the heart of the town that gave the world one of the most consequential figures in Czech history. It's a modest but symbolically important stop for anyone tracing the story of the reformer, easily combined with a visit to his nearby birth house just a short walk away.

Who was Jan Hus, and why does a statue stand here?

Jan Hus was born in Husinec, and it was from this small town that he set out on the path that took him to Prague's university, into the role of a preacher openly criticizing abuses within the Church, and ultimately, in 1415, to his execution at the stake in Constance. Husinec has long treated this origin as central to its identity, which is why a figurative sculpture honoring the reformer was placed here rather than in a larger city. The monument doesn't mark a specific event from Hus's life; it commemorates the simple fact that this small town produced a figure whose influence reached far beyond the borders of Bohemia.

What does the statue look like, and who created it?

The figure depicts Jan Hus holding a copy of Scripture, an attribute underlining that his conflict with the Church centered on questions of faith and biblical interpretation rather than politics. The sculpture stands nearly three meters tall and was created by Karel Lidický, a respected Czech sculptor and professor at the Prague Academy of Fine Arts. The statue in Husinec was unveiled in 1958, four years after an almost identical work by the same sculptor was installed at Prague's Karolinum, the historic seat of Charles University, where Hus lectured and later served as rector.

Where exactly is the statue located?

The sculpture stands on Prokop Square (Prokopovo náměstí), the main square of Husinec, surrounded by the historic townhouses that make up the town's compact center. It's a natural starting point for a walk through town, since the direction toward Hus's birth house is already visible from here, making it easy to combine both sights in a single short visit without needing any transport.

What else related to Jan Hus is worth seeing in Husinec?

A short walk from the statue stands house number 36, identified as Hus's birthplace and open to visitors since 1873. Its façade bears a relief portrait of the reformer created by the sculptor B. Schnirch and unveiled in 1869 to mark the 500th anniversary of Hus's birth. Seeing the 19th-century relief on the birth house alongside the freestanding 20th-century statue on the square illustrates how the way this figure has been commemorated changed over the decades, from an intimate portrait on a building's façade to a monumental sculpture serving as a central landmark of the town.

Frequently asked questions

Is the statue in Husinec unique, or does a similar one exist elsewhere? It isn't unique. It closely mirrors an earlier statue by the same sculptor, Karel Lidický, installed four years prior at Prague's Karolinum, a site closely tied to Hus's academic career.

How tall is the statue? The figure stands roughly 290 centimeters tall, making it a clearly visible landmark on the square.

Are there other Hus-related sights near the statue? Yes. A short walk away stands the house regarded as his birthplace, featuring a relief on its façade from 1869 and open to visitors since 1873.

When was the statue unveiled? It was unveiled in 1958 as part of efforts to commemorate Jan Hus in his hometown.