Radegast Statue

The statue of the pagan god Radegasta is a monumental representation of the sun god, abundance and crop. It stands on the ridge of Radhošt in the town of Lower Bečva. The work from 1931 was created by the academic sculptor Albín Polášek. Today it represents one of the most distinctive symbols of the Beskydy landscape.

Albín Polášek, native of Frenštát and professor of the Academy of Fine Arts in Chicago, began to work on the proposal in 1924. Originally planned to create a whole set of pagan gods from Slavic mythology. Radegast was the first and only realized of them. The final design of the statue was developed by the author in the Prague studio in Nusla around 1930. The project was created in the period of the first republic when national culture flourished in Czechoslovakia looking for Slavic roots. The implementation was supported by President T. G. Masaryk, while the funds were provided by Czech native people in America.

The statue depicts a figure with a male body and a lion's head with a smirk of the beast. He wears a helmet shaped like a bull's head with horns on it. The character is dressed in a decorated skirt with a wide waist, which closes the buckle in the shape of the sun. Underneath the skirts, the human legs stand out in the mantle. In his right hand, God holds the horn of abundance with the duck. With his left hand, he's leaning on an ax on a long stick that reminds him of the valac.

The original statue from 1931 was built in the Prague foundry of the company Maška. It was made of a mixture of concrete and granite crushes with reinforced iron skeleton. She was eight feet tall, weighing 1.4 tons. At that time two identical versions were produced under the personal supervision of the author. The first, of the white-black granite crushes, placed Radhost on the ridge. The second, in a red shade, was intended for the garden of the author who, at a later age, wanted to return to his native Beskyd. This version was hidden during World War II and later forgotten. It was found again in Prague at the turn of the 1950s and 1960s under a load of soil and leaves. Due to animal features, she was moved to the Prague Zoo in 1961. From 2014 to 2015 it passed through the restaurant and was supplemented by a missing duck.

The ceremonial discovery of the statue in Radhošt took place on 5 July 1931 during the Slavic pilgrimage. This event was organized by the Matrix Radhoštská and Pohorská unity Radhoště. The event was accompanied by tragedy. On the 4th of July, a 22-year-old Private Karel Than from the 8th Infantry Regiment was killed during the guard at the statue.

Since 1958, the statue has been listed on the list of statewide protected cultural monuments. The first extensive restaurant took place in 1980. The reason for this was severe weather effects, corrosion of the iron skeleton and lightning damage from 1938. The cracks were fixed by Olomouc sculptor Karel Horínek and his son. In 1994, however, they stated that erosion continued. It therefore decided to replace the original with a more durable replica. The original concrete object was taken to the studio in Leskovec in May 1996. On 4 July 1998, a new statue of vapenice granite was installed. It weighs 3.38 tons and measures 320 centimeters. The cost of its creation, which amounted to almost one million crowns, was paid by Nošovický brewery. The restored original was festively placed on November 6, 1998 in the hall of the town hall in Frenštát, under Radhošt.

The present statue stands approximately one kilometer southwest of Pusteven with its face turned to the top of Radhosti. The work combines the artistic vision of Albino Polášek with the mythology of Slavic ancestors and is an essential part of the Beskydy Massif. It is a place where history meets nature and therefore it is worth visiting every interested person in Czech culture.