Zderad Column, Gothic monument in Brno-střed district, Czech Republic
The Zderad Column is a Gothic stone monument standing about 12 meters tall on Křenová Street in the Brno-střed district. It occupies a memorial park and is partially obscured by trees and a former customs house.
The Gothic column, about 12 metres tall, was probably built in the second half of the 15th century, perhaps around 1470, near the town gallows on the road from Brno to Olomouc. In 1730 the historian Dismas Josef Ignác von Hoffer first called it the Zderad Column, drawing on Hájek's chronicle and a legend about Zderad, supposedly murdered here in 1090. In 1863–1865 Josef Arnold, Robert Onderka and Ferdinand Kellner gave it its neo-Gothic form; it was not moved across the Svitava, but the river was regulated.
The column, bridge and street all bear the name of Zderad, an 11th-century Czech nobleman said in later legend to have been murdered on this spot. The name Zderadův was first used in 1730 by historian Dismas Josef Ignác von Hoffer, citing Hájek's chronicle.
The column stands on the right bank of the Svitava River near Křenová Street and is easily reached on foot. The surrounding park provides benches where visitors can observe the area without needing to hurry.
The column was never moved to the other bank of the Svitava, despite claims in some literature; during the 1863–1865 restoration by architect Josef Arnold, builder Robert Onderka and restorer Ferdinand Kellner, the river itself was regulated. The theories that it served as a wayside shrine, a milestone of Brno's mile right or a ford marker were rejected.
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