Pomník Na stráž, Memorial and civic building in Bělá pod Bezdězem, Czech Republic.
Pomník Na stráž is a memorial in the park on Masaryk Square in Bělá pod Bezdězem: an over-life-size figure of a French legionary in full uniform leaning on a rifle, carved by Josef Mařatka with architectural input from Pavel Janák. The statue stands on a tall prismatic pedestal bearing the words NA STRÁŽ! and the dedication Padlým občanům okresu Bělé pod Bezdězem 1931.
The memorial was created in 1930–31 by sculptor Josef Mařatka with architect Pavel Janák; some sources cite 1927. The town announced a public competition in 1930, and the unveiling in 1931 drew over 5,000 people. The statue was taken down and hidden in 1940, re-erected in 1945, and restored by Petr Gláser in 2006, with a ceremonial re-unveiling on 28 October 2006.
The monument's name comes from its inscription NA STRÁŽ!, meaning "On guard!", above the list Padlým občanům okresu Bělé pod Bezdězem. The sides of the pedestal name the sculptor Josef Mařatka and architect Pavel Janák, and the donors A. Pokorný and A. Ducháček. A marble plaque added later commemorates victims of Nazism from 1939–1945.
The monument stands in the park on Masaryk Square in the centre of Bělá pod Bezdězem. The soldier faces outward from a tall prismatic plinth, with the added marble plaque set on a separate base beside it on the platform. The inscriptions are on the plinth itself, so walk around it to read the dates 1914–1918 at the back and the names at the sides.
A black polished marble plaque on the pedestal's front honors victims of Nazi concentration camps. This addition connects remembrance of two different wartime periods.
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