Smírčí kříž, Reconciliation cross in Pozlovice, Czech Republic

Smírčí kříž is a free-standing cross carved from a single stone block into the shape of a Latin cross, with a relief of the crucified Christ, his head tilted left and a flowing loincloth. Above his head is carved the date "L.P. 1663"; at the base, a skull with small crosses on either side. It measures 1.09 m high, 0.59 m wide and 0.24 m thick.

The early modern stone cross was erected in 1663 beside a forest path above Martincův mlýn east of Pozlovice. It commemorates the Tatar plundering of the region, and a legend links it to Sedlářův mlýn, a mill flooded in 1931. The tale holds that a Tatar was killed by a woman defending the mill and secretly buried where the cross stands.

The monument represents a traditional Czech legal practice where those who caused harm erected crosses as penance and compensation for victims' families. These stone crosses served as public signs of making amends and restoring peace between communities.

The cross stands in the forest above Martincův mlýn, east of Pozlovice, along a path rather than in the village centre. Approach on foot from the village; the terrain is woodland and the monument is a free-standing stone block 1.09 m high, 0.59 m wide and 0.24 m thick.

This cross is part of a national collection of around 3,900 documented reconciliation crosses, each carrying its own regional story and meaning. Such monuments are less familiar today, though they represent an important chapter in Czech legal history.