Sculpture of Bruncvík

A loose copy of the sculpture of Roland the Knight, from around 1500 (possibly the work of Matthias Rejsek, now on display with its original pedestal in the Lapidarium of the National Museum), was created between 1884 and 1886 by the sculptor Ludvík Šimek. The original work was severely damaged during the Swedish siege of the Old Town at the end of the Thirty Years’ War (1648). The sculpture, known today as the Bruncvik, stands on a tall pedestal with Neo-Gothic architectural decoration and, like the original pedestal, features four reliefs with half-figures on the sides (a knight in armor, an angel, a townsman, and a man with two youngsters). The unfurled scrolls in the figures’ hands were likely meant to symbolize the town’s charter. At the feet of armored Bruncvik lies a lion; with his left hand, the young knight holds a massive shield bearing the Old Town coat of arms, while his right hand holds a drawn gilded sword.