Obetovaný: Pomník obetem 1. svetové války / The Sacrificed: Monument to the victims of the WWI - Horovice (Central Bohemia)
N 49° 50.238 E 013° 54.482
33U E 421478 N 5521113
The Sacrificed, an unusual and artistically exceptional monument devoted to the Horovice victims of the WWI unveiled in September 1922, is a work of prominent Czech Art-Nouveau and Symbolism artist František Bílek.
Waymark Code: WM12V71
Location: Středočeský kraj, Czechia
Date Posted: 07/18/2020
Views: 13
The Sacrificed, an unusual and artistically exceptional monument devoted to the Horovice victims of the WWI unveiled in September 1922, is a work of prominent Czech Art-Nouveau and Symbolism artist František Bílek.
The stone monument to the victims of the First World War, called "The Sacrificed", was unveiled on September 10, 1922. The author of the sculpture is František Bílek, the original pedestal was created by sculptor Cenek Vorech. The monument was originally located in the upper part of Palacké Square, but the statue was removed from the original pedestal and moved to a new pedestal in front of Horovice New Chateau in 1956. The monument was restored and a new pedestal, based on the original design by Cenek Vorech, was built in 2011. A stone plaque with the inscription Victims of the First and Second World Wars in 2012 was placed next to the monument.
A sandstone statue of a man ("The Sacrificed") stands on a rugged plinth resembling a path (upwards). It is shown in a step, with the torso curled to the right, with the view pointing upwards and the chin proudly extended. The sharply cut face is framed by wavy hair. The body is partially covered with a flat drapery, in the lower part with cup-shaped folds.
Not only the statue of František Bílek is artistically very valuable, but also the plinth designed by Cenek Vorech. It is a relatively atypical work of its kind - a monument to honor the memory of those who fell in World War I, because the statue does not depict a man as a soldier and a hero, but as a victim of the absurdity of war suffering. It was this concept that was the reason why the citizens of Horovice accepted the monument with misunderstanding in 1922.