Photography by Fenichel: Prague - Staroměstské náměstí

Prague (Praha), Czech Republic

Staroměstské náměstí (Old Town Square) - Jan Hus Monument

Photograph Copyright © 2005-2008 Michael Fenichel

This memorial to Jan Hus captures his strength of purpose and belief in his moral high ground, while to his right lay the remains of the oppressed, and to his left are the defiant. A national hero, Hus was a revered preacher whose reformist politics and outspoken ways eventually saw him branded a heretic by the church, and burnt at the stake, July 6, 1415. Since its arrival on the square in 1915, in time for the 500th anniversary of Hus' death, the monument has been a rallying point, at times symbolically covered by flowers, swastikas (upon the Nazi invasion), and funeral drapings (1948) when the Communists took control in the "bloodless revolution". The inscription on the base says: Truth Prevails.

Looking around from this vantage point are an amazing display of architecture, as well a city of statues atop the roofs. Some of the names atop the building walls include Salvator Mundi and Svazy Vaclave. One of the buildings was a gymnasium (school) for a time, with a student named Kafka in attendance. There is an incredible amount of history in this square.

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