Pranger, Historical whipping post in Zdoňov, Czech Republic.
The Pranger stands near the Church of the Holy Trinity in Zdoňov, part of Teplice nad Metují. It is a cylindrical sandstone column about 160 cm tall set on a square block inscribed in Schwabacher script on all sides, which itself rests on a sandstone base slab. Iron shackles are fixed at roughly two-thirds of the column's height.
The post existed before 1765, though its original location is unknown. It was long lost; in the 1930s parts were found in a meadow by the bridge over the Metuje, then restored and set up near the Church of the Holy Trinity in Zdoňov.
The sandstone block beneath the column carries inscriptions in Schwabacher script on all four sides, a lettering style of early German printing. The post stands by the Church of the Holy Trinity, and its parts were found in the 1930s on a meadow near the Metuje bridge, then restored and re-erected here.
The post stands by the Church of the Holy Trinity in Zdoňov, part of Teplice nad Metují in the Náchod district. It is a short column about 160 cm tall on a sandstone base block, so it can be examined on foot from the churchyard path. No information boards are documented at the site.
The original metal fasteners are still visible today and show exactly how offenders were secured during their punishment. These details make the harsh reality of these historical practices tangibly clear.
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