The world’s largest bronze horseman statue is located in Prague. It stands on the Vitkov hill, high above the city – the Jan-Žižka monument.
Even from the far bank of the Vltava, you can discover this huge horseman statue. It stands on Vitkov hill, east of the historic old town. In this very spot, Jan Žižka defeated the army of the Crusaders in 1420. The Crusaders had come to the country to defeat the Hussites whom they deemed heretical.
Many depictions of Jan Žižka show him with only one eye. He is said to have lost his sight on one eye at a young age. But even when he lost his other eye through an arrow in 1421, he continued to be an outstanding leader of the armed forces. Only due to his masterful strategic tactics it was possible to lead the under-equipped Hussites to victory over the heavily armed knights. Jan Žižka died in 1424.
The Jan-Žižka Monument
A really colossal cavalry statue was erected here. Made of bronze, it is almost 17 tons in addition, it is still a huge base, so they are about 22 meters high rises over Prague. The entire factory consists of 39 bronze parts, which were welded together on site.
It was created by a Czech sculptor, Bohumil Kafka. Already in the 30s he began his work. The Second World War prevented the completion in 1942 of artists to be able to accomplish died without his work. In 1950 it was finally inaugurated.
Kafka chose as a model for Žižka’s representation the Prague wrestler Jiráne. Also for the horse was found a model, it came from the stud in Tlumačov.
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