Monument to Master Jan Hus in Třebeš

The Třebeš Sokol organization honored the Czech medieval thinker, preacher, and teacher Jan Hus by erecting a monument. The task was assigned to master mason Jan Hyk from the nearby village of Pouchov. 

 

Hyk designed the monument as a roughly hewn sandstone block in a conical shape, with an inscription carved into its center: “TO THE MARTYR OF KONSTANZ 1415–1920”. bove the inscription, a metal elliptical relief plaque was embedded, depicting Jan Hus’s profile with sunken cheeks, a beard, and a distinctive hairstyle. He is portrayed wearing a robe with a high collar, and a small chalice appears beside him on the right. Below the portrait, Hyk added the inscription “M. J. HUS”, while a lime branch was placed above it.

 

A chalice was also carved at the very top of the monument. On the back, the inscription “FUNDED BY SOKOL” is engraved. The monument stands 190 cm high, with a base diameter of 120 cm, and was originally enclosed by a low fence. A similar design can be seen in the Monument to Alois Jirásek by sculptors Josef Srdínek and Jaroslav Plichta, along with painter Bohumil Lízner, located in Jiráskovy Gardens in Hradec Králové. These artists also conceived their work as a stone cairn featuring a metal medallion with the writer’s profile in relief. Such monuments were commonly erected in the 19th century, but between the world wars, they were gradually replaced by modernist sculptures created by a new generation of artists. 

 

The exact dates of the monument’s creation and installation remain uncertain; sources mention either 1915 or 1920. It is likely that the earlier date corresponds to the monument’s execution, while the latter marks its eventual erection at the green space where K Labi and Machkova Streets intersect. The installation was most likely delayed by five years due to WWI.

 

For many years, the monument and its surroundings were left unmaintained. It was not until 1989 that restoration efforts took place. The Puls newsletter of Hradec Králové reported on the repairs: “In the summer of this year, members of the historical section of the National History Club of the Regional Museum of East Bohemia V. Laštovička and B. Poláček, managed to repair the monument to Jan Hus in Hradec Králové – Třebeš, from which the metal relief plaque fell off [...]. The relief was cleaned of rust, preserved with red lead and a basic linseed oil coating.” The silhouette of Hus’s head against a dark background was removed, restored, and reinstalled in its original place on July 16 of the same year.

 

JFB