The statue of Emperor Joseph II will return to the square in Trutnov.

Trutnov - A statue of Emperor Joseph II will reappear in Krakonoš Square in Trutnov after several decades. A copy of the bronze statue, whose original stood in the square from 1866 to 1923, will be unveiled on September 12. This was stated by Mayor Ivan Adamec.
    "The statue will be placed in its original location. We want to restore the appearance of the square to its original form. Currently, construction work is underway on the pedestal where the statue will be placed," said Adamec. The original statue is stored in the city museum, and a copy will be displayed in the square, which, together with the pedestal, will reach a height of approximately seven meters.
    Historian and university educator Vladimír Wolf noted that Joseph II visited the Trutnov area repeatedly, for example, during the great drought of 1771, he arrived in Markoušovice. "Joseph II was a great ruler who modernized the monarchy, even in the face of resistance from the conservative nobility and clergy. That his work and ideas were exploited by chauvinists and nationalists of the 19th century is a different matter," Wolf stated.
    For the casting of the statue, which will cost hundreds of thousands of crowns, the municipality has received part of the funding from the Czech-Polish project entitled History Connects Us, which aims to bring the people of Trutnov and the Polish town of Kamienna Góra closer to the history of the second half of the 19th century. The project will also include the preparation of an exhibition on the significance of Joseph II for history, discussions, and other activities.
    Emperor Joseph II, who abolished serfdom, was quite popular in the 19th century, and his monuments appeared primarily in areas with a predominantly German-speaking population. For instance, in North Bohemia, twenty-five of his monuments were created by 1882. However, after 1918, many statues were torn down, and during World War II some statues were melted down for cannons. Many of the monuments survived in hiding and now stand once again in squares. For example, since 1999, a statue of Joseph II has been standing in Hostinné in the Trutnov area.