Vojenský hřbitov (Chlum u Všestar) Cemetery

The Military Cemetery in Chlum near Výstar on Králové Hradec is a historical monument located on the southern edge of the top plateau of the Chlum. This 838 square metres facility belongs to the monument zone of the Battle Area at Hradec Králové in 1866 and serves as the last rest of soldiers fallen during the Prussian-Austrian war.

The main historical event associated with this location was the battle at Hradec Králové, which took place on 3 July 1866. The battlefield stretches from the Elbe River to the villages of Horínives, Venice, Sadová, Wet-beard and Lower Pří. In these battles, about 8,000 soldiers were killed and more than 23,000 were injured. The height of Chlum between Chlum and Lipa was one of the final meeting points. At the end of the fighting, monuments were built and fallen soldiers, including their commanders, were buried on the battlefield. In 1888 he founded the Commonet for the maintenance of monuments on the battlefield of the Králové-hradecký, which ensures the preservation of these monuments. Every year in July, there are piety memorial events, culminating in a large battle demonstration.

The architecture of cemetery monuments is characterized by the use of sandstone, marble and cast iron with elements of historism such as pseudo-gothic shapes. The Prussian military cemetery has a rectangular plan with an entrance on the east side. Its important elements include a marble base with a bronze statue of a sleeping lion dedicated to Prussian 1st Guard pedestrian division, and a cast iron cross on a sandstone pedestal dedicated to all fallen Austrian and Prussian soldiers. In the cemetery there are various types of tombstones, including sandstone pyramids, tumbs and tilting plates.

A detailed view of Prussian graves shows the diversity of monuments dedicated to individuals and military units. These include, for example, the pseudo-gothic tumba of Prussian Colonel Heinrich Gottfried Ernst von Helldorf, the sandstone tumba dedicated to Lieutenant Hans von Papem, decorated with a coat of arms relief, or a sandstone flip board dedicated to Prussian War Ministries, covering the grave of Lieutenant Oscar Vogeley and Lieutenant Hans Gustav's grave of the free master von Malthazon. Another important object is the sandstone boulder covering the grave of the commander of the 1st Guard pedestrian division Johann Wilhelm the free master Hiller von Gärtringen. The monuments include a sandstone pyramid dedicated to Austrian Lieutenant Jaroslav Jičinský or a pyramid dedicated to the memory of 30 Prussian soldiers and one c. K. Lieutenant. In the cemetery is also transferred the grave of Prussian Lieutenant Richard Gus, whose remains were exhumed in 1936 when the nearby building was expanded.

A pseudogotic ossarium is located west of the Prussian cemetery. The original limestone building was consecrated in 1899 according to the plans of Professor F. v. Schmidt and implemented by the company F. Vondráček from the school of fire. Due to the bad condition, the ossarium was taken in 1936 and newly built from the mountain sandstone. This building protects the granite sarcophagus located under the roof on six columns, in which each year remains found in different places of the battlefield are stored. At ossario stands a marble plaque with a bronze portrait of the First Protector of the Central Society for the maintenance of the military monuments of Wilhelm Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe.

Other sights in the vicinity include the cemetery at the Church of the Lord's Transformation in Chlum where officers like Prussian Major Heinrich Richard von Reuss or Austrian Major Ferdinand Graf Grünne are buried under a high granite cross with a bronze thorn crown. In the village itself is a marble cross dedicated to Austrian captain Oscar Beckers. Near the Prussian cemetery there is also a Mauthausen granite obelisk of the Austrian 1st Army Corps, which is decorated with bronze military emblems and culminates in a bronze statue of an eagle.

The whole complex is protected as a real-estate cultural monument of the Czech Republic. This site represents an important historical document of the Prussian War and offers a deep view of the architecture of military monuments of the 19th century. It is a place worth visiting for anyone seeking authentic testimony about the history of Central Europe.