Hus and Czech Destiny

Abstract

So this is where Jan Hus breathed, lived, and suffered … In the twelfth year of the fifteenth century he must have come here twice, three times. We can well imagine him pacing these ramparts, gazing with longing toward Prague — the city where his work began, the city where his work could never be completed. He came here to Kozí Hrádek, he returned to Prague, and at last he embarked on his fateful journey to the Council in Constance.

In 1896 Masaryk published a book about the Czech religious reformer and national martyr Jan Hus. The book, which is more a compendium of essays and articles rather than a rounded monographic study, was republished in two editions in 1899 and 1903. In the fourth, enlarged edition (1923) Masaryk included a speech on Jan Hus, delivered in July 1910. The selected text, quoted from The Meaning of Czech History, is the translation of the almost complete version of the speech. Speaking about a historical figure Masaryk conveys a clearly contemporary message and uses past ideals as a yardstick for present behaviour.