Jan Hus Monument

The Jan Hus Memorial stands at one end of Old Town Square, depicting victorious Hussite warriors, Protestants forced into exile after the Battle of the White Mountain, and a young mother symbolising national rebirth. It was the lifework of sculptor Ladislav Šaloun, an autodidact inspired by Rodin, who began work in 1903; the monument was funded entirely by public donations and unveiled on 6 July 1915 — the 500th anniversary of Hus's burning at the stake. As Prague was under Habsburg rule at the time, the authorities refused to acknowledge the inauguration; in quiet protest, residents blanketed the new monument in flowers. Jan Hus — a Czech theologian who a century before Luther challenged the corruption of the Catholic Church — was condemned as a heretic and burned at the Council of Constance in 1415 despite an imperial safe-conduct guarantee. Under Communist rule, sitting at the feet of the memorial became a form of quiet political dissent. July 6 is a national holiday in the Czech Republic in his memory.