Birthplace of František Palacký in Hodslavice
The "Father of the Nation" František Palacký (1798 —1876), historian, politician and philosopher, is one of the most important personalities of modern Czech history. Even 150 years after his death, he is still perceived as an authority who continues to attract the attention of the general public. His "second life" is reflected in the exhibition in his birthplace as well.
František Palacký was born on 14th June 1798 in Hodslavice, in house No. 108. This village, situated on the border of the Kravaře and Wallachia regions, was at the end of the 18th century a place of intermingling of national and cultural influences. The Beskydy landscape and the nearby German villages of Kravaře region shaped Palacký's view of Czech and Moravian history.
The farmstead was built in 1796 by his father Jiří Palacký on a sloping plot of land in the centre of the village, near the wooden Catholic Church of St. Andrew, the oldest monument in Hodslavice. The one-storey brick building without a basement, made of unfired bricks (the so-called mudbricks), originally had dimensions of 10.7 × 8.3 m. The gabled roof was covered with shingles. In a short period of time, the house was extended by another large room — a classroom measuring 7.7 × 7.2 m. The present floor plan of the building is 18.4 × 8.3 m.
There are two memorial plaques on the birth house. The first was unveiled in 1868 during Palacký's visit to his native region, the second in 1898 on the occasion of the centenary of his birth.
The current exposition in the farmstead presents the appearance of a typical evangelical rural school — Jiří Palacký taught here until 1820. Visitors can see the school classroom, the living room and František Palacký's birthplace. The rich life and extensive work of this important native of Hodslavice is thus recalled in the authentic environment of a country house.
Since 1971, the birthplace of František Palacký has been a branch of the Novojičín Museum. In 1978 the building was declared a national cultural monument. Since 1968, the bronze statue of František Palacký, the work of the academic sculptor Vladimír Navrátil (1907 — 1975), has been an unmistakable landmark of the village square in Hodslavice.
web: www.rodnydumpalackeho.cz
You can order in our e-shop.
Back
