EPIC OF MILETÍN

Through its message, the work takes us back to the historical events of 1124, when Duke Vladislav I welcomed Bishop Otto of Bamberg at the water castle, officially establishing today's town of Miletín. From this meeting unfolds the history of Miletín, captured in four symbolic milestones: the rise of the village of Miletín under the rule of the Teutonic Knights, the granting of town rights by Jiří of Valdštejn, the town fire of 1846 which gave rise to the modern form of the town, and the birth of its most prominent native, K. J. Erben, in 1811.

The design of the sculpture group draws from this first historical mention of the town and from the humility of the duke, who is therefore depicted as an atlant — a figure serving as a column, austerely dressed yet bearing the symbol of power, a ducal crown upon his head. The crown forms the strong and load-bearing focal point of the work. Rather than decorative elements, it carries fragments of figures and portraits symbolizing the four main historical events of the town. By depicting a column as a figure, Sebastian Wojnar pays homage and tribute to the masters Michelangelo, Braun and Myslbek, who also employed this ancient Greek principle in their work. The crown serves as the capital of the figurative column, upon which stands Bishop Otto of Bamberg, blessing the new place and the people of the future town. Both figures are crafted using traditional sculptural techniques in larger-than-life scale. The final work is cast in bronze at approximately 5.5 meters in height, subsequently hand-finished and patinated. It is situated in a park in close proximity to the Church of the Annunciation.