Masaryk's Tower of Independence is still awaiting completion

Prague – 100 years ago, on July 10, 1926, the foundation stone of the Masaryk Tower of Independence was laid in the presence of President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk near Hořice in the Podkrkonoší. By 1938, the tower was built to a height of 25 meters, but then construction ceased. The completion of the tower to the planned 40 meters was prevented by World War II. Several attempts to finish the tower in recent years have been unsuccessful, either due to lack of funds or the coronavirus crisis.

The tower, according to the plans of architect František Blažek, was built by the company of Jindřich Malina, with sculptural decorations designed by Jan Vávra and Karel Lenhart, pupils of Otakar Španiel. It stands on the ridge of Hořický chlumm at an altitude of 408 meters, built on deep foundations on a sandstone substrate, the stone for the construction was quarried in the nearby Saint Joseph quarry. On the ground floor, there is a museum and a memorial hall with the names of war victims. At the top, there is a viewing platform from which the panorama of the Krkonoš can be seen. The top of the tower is covered by an astronomical dome. On the side wings of the building, there are patriotic reliefs depicting, for example, the battles of the legions.

After the end of World War II, the tower was partially repaired. After 1948, the patriotic depictions on the wall of the building had to be covered, just as they had been before during the Nazi occupation. It was not until 1989 that the building underwent a complete renovation. In the early 90s, a sculpture titled "Legions Abroad" by sculptor František Ducháč – Vyskočil was placed in front of the lookout tower. The tower has been a cultural monument since 2014.

The town of Hořice has even considered the completion of the Masaryk Tower of Independence to its original 40 meters several times. The last serious consideration of this was in 2018 in connection with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the republic and the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. The completion was originally supposed to be finished by the end of 2020, but then the deadline was moved to 2022; however, due to the coronavirus crisis, the plan ultimately fell through.