Sv. Florián

The Saint Florian statue by the U Hrocha Hotel stands beside road I/37 in Škrdlovice, a small village in the Vysočina region of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, right at the entrance to the U Hrocha hotel and restaurant complex. It offers an unusual, present-day take on the patron saint of firefighters — rather than following the Baroque tradition of roadside columns and statues, it belongs to the figurative concrete work of sculptor Michal Olšiak, whose pieces can be found across the Czech Republic as well as in Germany and Italy.

What does the statue look like, and what is it made of?

Standing roughly 1.5 metres tall, the figure portrays Saint Florian in a playful, unconventional shape — its silhouette is modelled on a fire hydrant, a direct nod to the saint's role as protector against fire and patron of firefighters. Like Olšiak's other outdoor works in the area, the statue is cast in concrete, a durable material well suited to large-scale open-air sculpture.

Why is it here, next to the U Hrocha Hotel?

The Florian figure keeps company with a much better-known work by the same sculptor: a pair of concrete hippopotamuses that were installed in front of the hotel in September 2008 and gave the venue its informal name ("U Hrocha" — "At the Hippo's"). Standing side by side, the two sculptures have turned the spot into a recognisable, frequently photographed stop along the road linking Žďár nad Sázavou with Vojnův Městec, passed by travellers heading into the Žďárské vrchy hills.

Where exactly can visitors find it?

The statue stands in Škrdlovice, right along the main through-road, immediately next to the U Hrocha hotel and restaurant building (roughly 49.634°N, 15.930°E). It has been listed in the Czech register of minor monuments ("Drobné památky") since September 2017, though — unlike the many traditional Baroque Florian statues found across Czech villages — it does not hold protected cultural-monument status.

What else is worth knowing about Škrdlovice?

Škrdlovice is a small village of a few hundred residents in the Žďár nad Sázavou district, set within the Žďárské vrchy Protected Landscape Area on the border between Bohemia and Moravia. The village is best known for its glassmaking tradition: a glassworks operating there since the early 1940s, founded by Emanuel Beránek after he was forced to leave the Sudetenland following the Munich Agreement, still produces hand-shaped glass under the Beránek brand today. The U Hrocha hotel, next to which the statue stands, therefore sits within a region known both for its artistic craft and for the scenic landscape of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands.

Frequently asked questions

Who created the Saint Florian statue in Škrdlovice? It was made by sculptor Michal Olšiak, known for his figurative concrete works found across the Czech Republic as well as in Germany and Italy.

What material is the statue made from? It is cast in concrete, like the pair of hippopotamus sculptures standing next to it at the same hotel.

Why does Saint Florian have such an unusual shape here? The statue's silhouette is modelled on a fire hydrant — a playful reference to Florian's role as patron saint of firefighters.

Where exactly does the statue stand? Beside road I/37 in Škrdlovice, right next to the U Hrocha hotel and restaurant, close to the concrete hippopotamus sculptures by the same artist.