Sloup se sochou Panny Marie (Toužim) Marian column

The Marian column in Toužimi is a Baroque sculpture from 1705. Located in the upper part of Jiří Square of Poděbrad in Karlovy Vary district. This cultural monument has been protected since 1964. It represents an important proof of the religious godliness of the high baroque and forms the dominant part of the historic city centre.

The origin of the monument is evidenced by the year carved on the front of the base. The author of the work remains unknown, but one of the local sculptors is believed to have created it. The historical context of the creation is linked to the period of the high Baroque, which in Czech countries strongly influenced the counter-reformation. Shortly after the pole was erected, in 1708, the Honeyman Purkmaster Jan Jiří Beyer founded the foundation. In 1709, Prague's Archbishop's Consaire was approved. The purpose was to ensure the singing of the litany at the holidays of St. Joseph, the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist.

The building is carved from rough sand and stands on two stone steps. The peak sculpture of the Virgin Mary and Jesus lies in his arms on the Corinthian pillar. The Virgin Mary holds a gilded scepter in her left hand and a right apple with a gilded cross. The head of the mother and child is decorated with a gilded crown. The original stone balustrad was later replaced by an iron fence, but four corner prisms were preserved. On them are Baroque sandstone statues of St. John the Baptist, St. Joseph with Jesus, St. Florian and St. John the Nepomuk. In the past, lanterns have been installed on the iron brackets of these bases.

Over the centuries, the monument passed through a number of repairs and faced various threats. The first well-known restoration was carried out in 1905 with the help of a public collection. In 1919, the State Monument Office brought to the attention of inappropriate surrounding shrubbery, which prevented statues from drying after the rain, resulting in damage. The dramatic moment occurred in 1941, when the city planned to remove the column for rebuilding the square into a park. However, the intervention of the Monument Office prevented the intention. Further repairs were carried out in 1957, but the restoration committee stated in 1960 that the work was carried out in a non-technical manner and both sculptures and plinth show significant cracks.

The last complex restoration of the whole building took place between 2009 and 2010 for CZK 1.7 million. As part of the subsequent regeneration of Jiří z Poděbrad Square in February 2013, trees were cut off around the column to avoid negative effects on the state of sandstone elements.

Today, the Marian column is accessible to the public directly on the square and represents a valuable example of baroque sculpture in the region. Visiting this place offers the opportunity to look at detailed stoneware work and to remember the history of the Handy Funding that has shaped the spiritual life of the city for centuries.