Zprávy památkové péče 2015, 75(2):91-102

The Husinec "room" - a place of memories and centuries of embarrassment

Martin Gaži

The study summarizes the history of Husinec houses Nos. 36 and 37 which stand on the site traditionally regarded as the birthplace of the medieval Catholic reformer Jan Hus. The memorial value of the site methodically reaches into the European context of research of social memorial frameworks (Maurice Halbwachs, Eric Hobsbawm, Paul Connerton, Pierre Nora, Peter Burke) and into the context of revered Catholic and reformation "home towns" (especially of St. John Nepomuk and Martin Luther). There exists a turning point in the social acceptance of the site as associated with the pan-Slavic oriented "annual pilgrimage" to Jan Hus' birthplace, organized in early September of 1869 as one of the manifestations of public opposition to the Austro-Hungarian Compromise. This highlights the contradictory perceptions of the house in contemporary fiction, especially in journalism. Based on a survey of archival sources, the study points out the events surrounding the "Monument of Jan Hus" in the 1950's to 1980's, also citing from the critical reactions of the public at the time, quite often ideologically manipulated. It describes the circumstances of the creation and function of the exhibition as modified in 1952, 1965, and 1975. The study notes the decline in the interest in the site after 1989 as well as efforts to revitalize the building and its contents in the last decade. In conclusion, the study considers the possibilities of presenting the monument and its pitfalls, the most problematic of which is considered the efforts to artistically monumentalize an adherence to any kind of petrified "textbook" scheme of the perception of Hus' personage. As new impetuses to rehabilitate the site, the study appreciates a connection of the discussed content of the exhibition and a spiritual center. It supports views which call for a rurally/contextually conceived modification of the site.

Keywords: Husinec, Hus monument, room, museum exhibition, presentation of monuments

Published: June 1, 2015  Show citation