National Monument at Vítkov, Prague

The construction of the National Liberation Monument began in 1928 with the laying of the cornerstone on Vítkov Hill, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of Czechoslovakia's creation. The main structure was completed by 1933, with interior works involving many artists continuing thereafter.

Architect Jan Zazvorka won the first prize in an art contest for the design of the Monument, which included a museum at the foot of the hill. The construction of this museum began in 1927 and was finished two years later.

The museum building located at the foot of Vítkov Hill, designed by architect Jan Zazvorka, was completed in 1929. This was part of the larger project for the National Liberation Monument.

The Monument was being prepared for official state property transfer in 1938, intended as a tribute to the resistance against Nazism. However, the outbreak of World War II and the Munich Conference prevented its formal transfer, and its lower buildings were seized by the Germans.

Sculptor Bohumil Kafka was commissioned in 1931 to create the monumental equestrian statue of Jan Žižka. Kafka worked on the sculpture for ten years, completing a plaster model in November 1941. The casting and final assembly occurred after the country's liberation.

The colossal equestrian statue of Jan Žižka was unveiled on July 14, 1950, commemorating the anniversary of the Battle of Vítkov. The sculpture, weighing 16.5 tonnes, is tethered to the Monument's structure.

The Czechoslovak Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was initially established in Prague's Old Town Hall in 1922. After being demolished by Nazis in 1941, consideration was given to relocating it. Remains from the Battle of the Dukla Pass were interred in the National Monument on October 9, 1949.

Following World War II and the February 1948 communist coup, the Monument's ideological function shifted. The veneration of legionary tradition was suppressed, and the Monument was repurposed as a 'proletariat pantheon' by the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.

The Klement Gottwald Mausoleum was established within the Monument following a decision by the Communist Party's Central Committee in 1953. Technical facilities for embalming were built underground, completed in October 1953, inspired by models in Moscow and Sofia.

Klement Gottwald's body was cremated in 1962, and the technical facilities for the Mausoleum were removed. The sarcophagus, originally intended for President Masaryk, was repurposed. Only the control room and laboratory ground plan remain from the original design.

After the Velvet Revolution in 1989, funerary urns of Klement Gottwald and other prominent Communist Party members, which had been displayed in the Monument since 1962, were removed in 1990. They were subsequently buried in a community grave at Olšany Cemetery.

In 2000, the National Museum in Prague took ownership of the National Monument at Vítkov. This transfer preceded significant restoration efforts.

Following its acquisition by the National Museum, the Monument underwent extensive restoration. After more than two years of reconstruction, it was reopened to the public on October 29, 2009.

Jan Žižka, a leader of the Hussites, defeated Catholic forces led by King Sigismund in 1420 at the Battle of Vítkov Hill, a pivotal event commemorated by the monument.

The National Monument at Vítkov in Prague is a significant building dedicated to commemorating Czech statehood. It features the third-largest bronze equestrian statue in the world and houses exhibitions on Czech and Czechoslovak state history.

Remains from the Battle of Zborov were intended for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Vítkov after World War II, fulfilling an original idea. On May 8, 2010, other remains from Zborov were added, honoring those who fell for the Czech and Czechoslovak states.