The Statue of St. Wenceslas ⚡️ #club100
Hi Steemians ⚡️
In front of the Prague National Museum is a spectacular statue reminiscent of the mysterious knights. The bronze equestrian statue with a gothic ambiance looks even more impressive, especially in cloudy weather. Located in Wenceslas Square, this famous statue is The Statue of St. Wenceslas.
It is the most famous statue of Czech sculptor Josef Václav Myslbek. When I learned that the sculptor worked for this remarkable sculpture for about 35 years, I was more interested in the sculpture and I examined it in detail. He even inaugurated the statue without completing it, and in the following years, he completed its deficiencies. After the statue of Wenceslas, the sculptor added 4 Czech patron saints to the statue.
The reason why I want to tell you about The Statue of St. Wenceslas is that he is one of the most remarkable and symbolic sculptures and his story is quite impressive.
Wenceslas I, also known as Václav the Good, was Duke of Bohemia. It is not known exactly how the Duke died. The common belief of the Czech people and the Roman Catholic Church is that the duke was assassinated by his brother, known as the cruel Boleslaus. However, according to some sources, he died by accident. This death is still unclear, and due to his popularity, he was accepted as the patron saint of the Czech state over time. The carol Good King Wenceslas tells this story. You can listen to this carol here.
The sign on the monument has an important meaning. The sign means "Leader of the Czech Land, St. Wenceslas, do not let perish us nor our descendants."
The front of this statue is where many important historical events took place throughout Czech history. It has been a symbol of freedom, suffering, courage, resistance and victory.
Czechoslovak Republic was proclaimed in 1918 in front of this statue. It is the site of demonstrations against the Nazi occupation in 1939. Afterward, it is the place where demonstrations were held against the invasion of Warsaw Pact troops in 1968. During this period when the Soviet Union occupied Czechoslovakia, history and political economy student Jan Palach burned himself in this square in 1969 to protest the occupation.
I was in this square during the Czech Republic's independence celebrations and I lit a candle for the people struggling here. The place where the candles you see are a monument built-in memory of the university student who burned in front of the statue and all the students who died.
In 1989, tens of thousands of Czechs gathered here for freedom.
I've added a few more photos of the statue. I took a photo of the side of the statue. I found the back photo of the statue on the Prague promotion website and added it.
It is very nice to see that the front of this statue is a place where independence days are celebrated and concerts are held today. I want to complete my post with a smile😊
Thank you 🤗
Our family would have a meal with my piano teacher every Christmas Eve. She was unmarried and alone, and it was good to spend the evening with her. Towards midnight, we would go to our church (Anglican), and there was a communion service, which included singing Christmas Carols. It was a much simpler time.
I read it like a good short story and I visualized it in my imagination. Maybe simple times were happier times.
Last week the Steem Skillshare community had a contest regarding love. I held off until after the contest and wrote an article with a follow-up commentary. The underlying emotion in my Christmas anecdote was love. Miss Eleanor Davidson (my teacher) loved our family, and we loved her. She was one of those people who had an incomplete life. She had been engaged to a man who died in the war. She never recovered from that. She became an essential friend to my parents when my sister, Nancy, was dying from leukemia. Eleanor accompanied my parents and sister to Florida during the winter preceding Nancy's death. As a side note, on the morning they were set to leave, Father had gone out to the barn to milk the cows and discovered a third of them had been electrocuted. He returned to the house, contacted the police and the insurance company and left the rest in my hands (I was 17 at the time). They left on vacation, and Eleanor was essential to everyone. Nancy died three months later.
Mother and I are the only two who can remember this episode, and now you make three. My simpler times were not necessarily happier times. On the other hand that Christmas Dinner once had an unexpected consequence.
My Grandmother lived a couple of blocks away from Miss Davidson. Friday afternoons, I would go for my lessons and, upon returning to my Grandmother's house, would spend the night with her and help with chores the next day. During the summer, I would mow the lawn, etc.; during the winter, I would shovel.
On the corner of the block that my Grandmother lived on were a pair of sisters: Clara and Hazel Hill. I would help around their house on the weekends as well. One late afternoon, my Grandmother and I were invited to their house. When we arrived, the "girls" had prepared a massive Christmas dinner, with turkey, mashed potatoes etc. It included all the preserves and treats that only two little old Canadian women could create. I was a teenager at the time and had a wonderful appetite. Squaring my shoulders, I commenced to eat. As I would clear a section of the plate, they would add something new and even tastier. Finally, after 6:30 pm arrived, and it was time to go. We bid Hazel and Clara our final Merry Christmas, and I drove my Grandmother home for the night.
I neglected to mention that this was Christmas Eve, and the rest of my family were waiting for me to start eating at 7:00 pm at Miss Davidson's. I arrived a few minutes later. My family and Eleanor looked at me expectantly from the dinner table. I initially mentioned that I wasn't very hungry, but the hurt look on Eleanor's face made me persevere. Mouthful after mouthful, I made my way through the meal. The food was exquisite both in taste and the pain that I was feeling. My forehead beaded with sweat. Finally, the meal was over. I didn't make the Christmas service that year.
In a number of the posts entered in the contest, the central theme about love was sacrifice. Sometimes it is about adding a smile of satisfaction to the faces of some kind ladies. I hope this last anecdote might add a smile to yours.
Hi David, thank you so much for sharing this special and sincere memory. The death of a loved one and the whole process is painful. Some images, emotions and sounds freeze and turn into unforgettable memories. I'm sorry about your sister. Miss Eleanor Davidson has healed you all with her presence, and I think you all have healed her. The time you spent with your grandmother, your relations with the neighbors were all very pleasant and I envisioned it. It is very meaningful and happy to cause a smile on a woman's face 😊
Remember that when you have the urge to punch me over the thousands of miles.
That is a deal 😄👍
I miss Prague.
It's definitely one of those rare cities that makes people want to visit it again and again 😊
Good evening @enveng It is always great to end a post with a smile. This is a fascinating statue which nowadays became a symbol of freedom in the city. I like that you included lots of photographs of the monument and that you told us about the historical events related to it. Therefore I decided to nominate your post for Nominate and get Rewarded: 15% Trial Upvote, (Nomination Day 67) I wish you all the best of luck my dear.
Good night dear @petface 🌸 when I talk about sad stories, I try to conclude it with hopeful sentences and photos in the last paragraph. That's why I was encouraged that you supported me to finish my post with a smile 😊 Thank you so much for your kind words and nomination 🤗
I was very surprised that the sculptor worked 35 years on that sculpture. This statue is definitely in the right place, in its rightful place. Thanks for sharing this interesting story.
Yes, that's a really long time for a statue. In this case, it increases its attractiveness. Thanks for reading it 🤗
Wow! Impressive photos 😁
Glad to hear you liked them. Thank you 🤗
Have a wonderful day😁👍
Thank you 😊
Heykel çok görkemli ve gizemli görünüyor. Seyahatlerimizde çoğu zaman bir çok heykelin önünden geçip gidiyoruz ama anlamını ve hikayesini bilmiyoruz. Postun, bu heykel gibi derin anlamları olan, önemli olaylara ev sahipliği yapmış kim bilir nice heykelin hikayesini kaçırdım diye düşündürdü bana. Sayende St. Wenceslas heykelinin görkemli tarihini öğrendik, çok teşekkürler :)
Teşekkür ederim 😊 Evet dikkat çekici bir heykel. Kesinlikle kaçırdığımız çok hikaye vardır ne yazık ki 🤷🏻♀️
#wox-bestpick of the day goes to @enveng
This post is nominated by @petface
Thank you so much 😊