Memorial to the Victims of WWI and WWII in Nový Hradec Králové

On  March 9, 1923, a competition for the construction of a monument to the fallen in the WWI was advertised in the periodical Rozhledy by the Committee for the Construction of a Memorial in Nový Hradec Králové. The conditions were: ‘Sealed offers containing proposals, budgets, and indications of the place of status must be addressed to the mayor of the municipality, J. Mužík.’ The maximum price for the construction, namely CZK 10,000, and the fact that the construction would be commissioned on  April 1of the same year was also mentioned. The winner of the competition was sculptor Jaroslav Samek from Hradec Králové. 

 

The sandstone memorial consists of a stele with a carved high figural relief depicting a dying soldier in front of the figure of Czechia dressed in flowing clothes. Behind the figures protrudes the silhouette of the allegory of Prague’s Hradčany, and at their feet, there are linden branches. Under the relief, there is an inscription: Your red blood has given eternal life to the nation humiliated, thank you, dear brothers! A staircase, lined with plaques with the names of the fallen soldiers, leads to the relief. 

 

On August 10, 1923, Rozhledy wrote about the ceremonial unveiling of the memorial: ‘The celebration of the unveiling of the monument to the fallen, held on July 1 of this year, despite a downpour that threatened its moral success, enjoyed a great participation of citizens from a wide area, so it can be stated with satisfaction how much sympathy this commemorative act enjoyed.’ The speech was given by Mr. Žípka.

 

After 1945, the memorial was supplemented with plaques with the names of the victims of WWII. In 2003, the restoration of the monument was carried out by stone sculptors Leoš and Luděk Velehrach from Hořice for 70,000 CZK. On the plaques with the names, the designation of legionnaires with the abbreviation ‘LEG.’, which disappeared after 1948, was restored.

 

JFB