Žižka's statue celebrates 70th birthday

Bronze equestrian statue of the Hussite military leader Jan Žižka was unveiled on Prague's Vítkov Hill on 14 July 1950.

At 9 metres high, 9.6 metres long and tipping the scales at 16.5 tonnes, it's said to be the third biggest bronze equestrian statue in the world.

It took a long time to finish this statue. It was commissioned in 1931 from sculptor Bohumil Kavka, who completed the plaster model in 1941 and died shortly thereafter.

During World War II, the model was cut into several pieces and hidden to be protected from German occupants. The sculpture was cast after the end of the war and unveiled on 14 July 1950, to mark the 530th anniversary of the Battle of Vítkov.

Between 2010 and 2011, the statue was restored. Thanks to the conservation, the monument should stay in great condition for at least another 50 years.