Monuments of Jan Amos Komenský in Fulnek

Two statues, one obelisk and one bronze sculpture commemorate the life and work of Jan Amos Komenský in Fulnek. This collection makes Fulnek the town with the largest number of statues of this philosopher.

One statue stands in the park near the Památník Jana Amose Komenského (Jan Amos Komenský Memorial) and comes from the workshop of sculptor Jan Štursa. It was commissioned in the 1920s and was originally to stand in the auditorium of the Faculty of Philosophy at Charles University in Prague, opposite Myslbek’s statue of Jan Hus. Half a century later, in 1970, this bronze sculpture was placed on a granite pedestal in Fulnek.

The second imposing statue that a tourist will find in Fulnek is the sculpture of Jan Pelikán, which depicts the preacher Komenský with his right arm raised. This stone statue stands by the primary school and commemorates the opening of the first Czech school in Fulnek.

The obelisk with the memorial plaque of Komenský is located in the Žákovský háj (Pupils’ Grove), where the teacher of nations liked to teach his pupils directly in the open air. The obelisk is an early work of sculptor Olbram Zoubek.

A contemporary sculpture of the thinker by Igor Kitzberger is located in the café in the Knurr Palace at the corner of the Fulnek Square.

Jan Amos Komenský spent the happiest period of his life in Fulnek. He was a preacher of the Unity of the Brethren and Fulnek was the last place in Moravia where he preached freely before he went into exile. Another place that commemorates Komenský’s stay in Moravia is in nearby Suchdol nad Odrou. It is a lime tree with the inscription “Here J. A. Komenský preached between 1618 and 1621”.