Towards the end of the 19th century, a monument with a bust of Emperor Joseph II stood in the small Emperor Joseph II Square on the top right of the main square. After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the bust of Joseph II was removed, but the pedestal remained in its original place.
When the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Czech school in Hoštka (1918 - 1998) was approaching, the town administration decided to place a new bust on the pedestal, this time of Emperor Franz Joseph I. 1998 was also the year of the 150th anniversary of the accession of Emperor Franz Joseph I to the throne. The bust was designed by the artist Mr. Václav Novák. This artist chose the imperial emblem as the main theme of the work, which was placed in the Bouda, the first Czech theatre in the Horse Market in Prague.
The emblem represented an imperial eagle with a Bohemian lion on its breast and the Latin inscription "Sum umbra alarum tuarum vincit leo". The Czech translation of the motto is: " In the shadow of your wings the lion triumphs.
The basis for the bust was a badly damaged bust of Emperor FJI from the private collection of Dr. Pavel Stříbrný. Stucco artist Zdeněk Vahala repaired the bust, prepared it for casting and cast it in artificial stone.
The bust of Emperor Franz Joseph I in Hoštka is a completely unique work. It depicts the emperor at a young age of between 35 and 40 years and has a very well-designed central theme in metal around it. Below around the bust is the Czech royal crown, on the sides above the emperor are the symbolic wings of the imperial eagle and at the very top is the victorious Czech lion. The metal elements around the bust were made by Otto Šubert from Prague. The bust was unveiled on 17 October 1998 by Master Adolf Born.
The bust of Emperor FJI in connection with metal elements is, in my opinion, only in Hoštka.
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