pranýř se sochou svaté Barbory Set of small monuments

Welcome to Vyší Broda. You just stopped in a quiet part of the city park, in the north part of the local square. In front of you is this stone monument that immediately transmits you to other times. You're standing right in front of a dusty, historical object that's a fixed point in this place. Feel this atmosphere, feel the calm of this park and look at this stone that has been standing here for hundreds of years. This object is not just an ordinary piece of stone, it is a witness of ancient events that has endured centuries and remained preserved as evidence of the past.

Look at his face and try to imagine what this square looked like at the time of its creation. This Gothic building dates back to 15 hundred and ninety-seven. Imagine the times when people in other clothes moved here when they spoke in a different way and when the rules of life were much different. This box was part of the order at the time and its existence here was completely natural. Even though today serves primarily as a monument that teaches us about history, at that time this object had a very different meaning for everyone who moved here. It's a fascinating piece of history that allows us to touch the past directly through this hard, worked stone.

Now pay attention to his architecture and look at him closely. This building is very interesting with its complex structure, which consists of five main parts. Notice how these parts are connected and how they form one whole. If you look down, you'll see stone columns. One of them is very distinctive, four-sided and bears an engraved German inscription. Try to think about the words that are engraved in the stone. Although the inscription is old, it still stands here and reminds us of the language and culture of the people who inhabited this place before us. It's a fascinating detail that gives the whole object depth and authenticity.

Then slowly raise your sight upwards. Your eyes should follow the path from the base to the very top. Above these stone parts is a cylindrical column, which is in Tuscan style. This column is elegant and acts as a solid pillar that holds this whole structure. And it is at its peak, at the highest point of the entire set, that the most important thing is found. Look up and see the statue of Saint Barbara. She's looking up from you and watching the neighborhood. It's a beautiful and noble view of this statue floating above the ground on its cylindrical column. This whole five-part structure creates a harmonious whole where each part is supplemented.

However, there is also one interesting thing in the story of this place that relates to the movement of these historical elements. This statue of St. Barbara wasn't always here. It's one of those things that often happens in history that monuments travel from one place to another. A significant shift took place in the 1970s. The statue was transferred from the cemetery, which was at the church of St. Bartholomew, and was replaced back to this box. Imagine the way this piece of art must have offended to find itself here again in the heart of this park where it is now standing. This transfer shows us how people in the past cared about preserving their precious objects and how important it was for them to have these symbols in the right place.

If you look around now, you might notice that something is missing in this space. Once upon a time there was not just this stone object. In the past, there was one other thing that would provide life and movement. There used to be an eight-sided fountain. Imagine the sound of water running down a rock, and how people around it probably stopped to relax or drink. Even though the fountain is gone today, and instead it is standing here, its presence in the history of this place is still perceived when we can imagine it. But this absence also helps us to better understand how space around us changed over the centuries.

This monument is truly remarkable by its complexity and by its different layers of time. It has a Gothic style, it has Tuscan elements in it, and it has stories about moving between the cemetery and this square. It's like a book written in a stone you can read if you just stop and start looking more carefully. Every column, every inscription and every part of this building has its meaning and its own history.

I hope that this brief view of this box and statue of St. Barbara has brought you interesting insights into the past of this place. It's just a small part of the many stories Vyšší Brod hides. But now we invite you to further explore. Continue walking through this beautiful park, discover further corners and let yourself drift through the atmosphere of this place. Thank you for your attention and we will wait you out at the next stop at another historical monument. Goodbye.