At the Krakovec Castle, a statue of Huss will be unveiled

Winning competition design

Krakovec (Rakovnicko) - The Central Bohemian Region will unveil a memorial to Master Jan Hus at Krakovec Castle in Rakovnicko on the occasion of the upcoming 596th anniversary of his burning. He worked there at the time of his proclamation as a heretic and expulsion from Prague. The statue by Milan Vácha, depicting the significant Czech preacher seated, is probably the only one of its kind. Sculptors usually depict Hus preaching while standing. Today, Marcel Chládek (ČSSD), the deputy of the governor, stated this to ČTK. The costs of producing the memorial and the landscaping around it reached 1.2 million crowns.
      The statue will stand on the southern slope of the castle, and its placement near the monument is expected to enhance tourist attractiveness. According to Chládek, around 20,000 tourists visit Krakovec annually. "The memorial could double the visitor numbers," he proclaimed.
      The Central Bohemian Region selected the author of the statue through a competition that received 14 proposals. The jury, composed of independent experts and representatives of the region, awarded the proposal by academic sculptor Milan Vácha the highest recognition. The second place went to the representation by sculptor and restorer Josef Faltus, and third place was Hus's likeness by sculptor Ladislav Sorokáč, which was also the most popular with the public.
      According to Chládek, the design that won the competition most closely matched the actual likeness of Jan Hus. "Contemporary materials describe him as a smaller person, somewhat stout, without a beard, and slightly balding. Most of the likenesses that were in the proposals and which we know from films depicted a tall man of ascetic physique with a full beard,” stated Chládek.
      Jan Hus criticized church practices in his sermons and demanded a return to a poor church, for which he earned a curse. Before the conciliar court in Constance, he refused to retract his teachings and was therefore burned as a heretic. His death strengthened the reform movement in the Czech lands, which grew into the Hussite revolution. Krakovec Castle was Hus's last refuge before his departure to the Council of Constance, where he was supposed to defend his reformist views; instead, he was imprisoned and burned on July 6, 1415. His statue will be unveiled at Krakovec on Wednesday, July 6, at 1:00 PM.