--- title: "The Radegast statue on the Radhošť ridge, by Albín Polášek" description: "The Radegast statue has stood on the Beskid ridge since 1931. Albín Polášek's work, the story of its unveiling, the granite replica and where both originals are." url: "https://zpusteven.cz/en/socha-radegasta" lang: "en" latitude: 49.4825344 longitude: 18.2530732 --- ![The Radegast statue seen from the side on its stone plinth by the ridge path, with a clearing, a shelter and forest behind](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/socha-radegast/1280/IMG_0048.avif) Statue • the Radhošť ridge • 1,105 m a.s.l. # The Radegast statue The Slavic pagan god of the sun, abundance and harvest, on the ridge route between Pustevny and Radhošť. - **Where:** the ridge between Pustevny and Radhošť - **Sculptor:** Albín Polášek, 1931 - **On the ridge today:** a granite replica from 1998 - **Access:** about 1.5 km on foot along the ridge from Pustevny ## A statue you cannot miss Halfway along the ridge route from [Pustevny](https://zpusteven.cz/en/pustevny) to [Radhošť](https://zpusteven.cz/en/radhost) stands the statue of Radegast, **one of the symbols of Moravian Wallachia**. The Radegast we know is the work of the academically trained sculptor Albín Polášek, born in Frenštát pod Radhoštěm. Today's statue on the ridge is a granite replica from 1998; both original casts survived and can still be seen. ![The Radegast statue on the ridge](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/socha-radegast/1280/IMG_0061.avif) The granite replica on the ridge Why come here ### A symbol of Moravian Wallachia The statue stands in the open on the ridge - you pass it whether you walk from Pustevny to Radhošť or the other way round. **On the ridge walk, you cannot miss it.** Not to be missed ### Details you cannot see from a distance Radegast has a man's body and a lion's face. On his head is a helmet in the shape of a bull's head with mighty horns. In his right hand he holds a horn of plenty; with his left he leans on an axe. Where the originals are ### Frenštát pod Radhoštěm and Zoo Praha The original from the ridge can be seen during office hours **in the entrance hall of the town hall in Frenštát pod Radhoštěm**. The second cast, found years later in the garden of a foundry, is **at Zoo Praha**. ![Front detail of the Radegast statue: the lion's face, the helmet in the shape of a horned bull's head and the horn of plenty in the raised hand](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/socha-radegast/1280/IMG_0044.avif) ![The Radegast statue in profile, seen from below against the sky](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/socha-radegast/1280/IMG_0042.avif) ![The Radegast statue on the ridge](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/socha-radegast/1280/IMG_0038.avif) The granite replica of the Radegast statue on the ridge ## The story of the Radegast statue Concrete, lightning, granite: the story of the statue on the ridge The work ### A god of sun, abundance and harvest by a Frenštát native Albín Polášek (1879–1965), born in Frenštát pod Radhoštěm and a professor at the Art Institute of Chicago, began work on Radegast as early as **1924 in America**, where several variants of the work were made. The statue took its final form only in 1930, in a rented Prague studio. The same sculptor also gave Radhošť the statues of Cyril and Methodius - [their story is told on the Radhošť page](https://zpusteven.cz/en/radhost). Polášek conceived Radegast as **a man's body with a lion's face and a helmet in the shape of a horned bull's head**; in one hand he holds a horn of plenty, in the other an axe. That form is purely Polášek's artistic idea - no documented image of the deity associated with Radhošť exists. Polášek gave the statue to [Pohorská jednota Radhošť](https://zpusteven.cz/experience-beskydy/secret-of-pustevny). The plinth carries the carved inscription **RADHOŠŤ**, even though the statue stands about 2.5 km from the actual summit - the name belongs to the whole ridge between Pustevny and the summit, not only to its highest point. ![The plinth of the Radegast statue with the carved inscription RADHOŠŤ](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/socha-radegast/1280/IMG_0046.avif) The unveiling ### A storm the day before the ceremony In 1930 Polášek had both Radegast and the [statues of Cyril and Methodius](https://zpusteven.cz/en/radhost#sousosi), which he made for Radhošť at the same time, brought up to the ridge at his own expense - besides a lorry, a **team of ten horses** helped. Asked why so much effort and expense, he replied: > “When neither you nor I are here any more, those statues will still be standing. And if now and then a pilgrim comes who understands their message, that will be the reward that gives my soul peace.” > > Albín Polášek during the transport of the statues to Radhošť The day before the unveiling, on 4 July 1931, a thunderstorm with hail broke over the ridge. Lightning killed the twenty-two-year-old private Karel Than as he stood guard by the statue - and speculation about the pagan god's first victim spread at once. The next day the weather cleared and the statue was ceremonially unveiled on 5 July 1931 during the Slavic Pilgrimage. - **height of the original:** 320 cm - **weight of the original:** 1.4 t - **helped bring both statues up to the ridge:** 10 horses Mountain vs. statue ### Stone against the mountain Artificial stone did not hold out long at over 1,100 metres. The statue was damaged by a **lightning strike** and weathered in the harsh mountain climate. Repairs in the 1980s only slowed the decay - the bond between old and new concrete did not hold. In 1995 the statue was dismantled and taken to a conservation workshop in Leskovec near Vsetín. Using it as a model, the academically trained sculptor Miroslav Machala and the conservators Jan Sobek and Miroslav Zubíček carved **an exact copy in granite**. They worked from a twenty-one-tonne block brought from a quarry near Sedlčany. The granite replica returned to its original place on **29 June 1998**. The statue on the ridge today is a faithful likeness of the original **at the same size**, this time in a material that withstands mountain weather. - **height of the replica:** almost 3.3 m - **weight of the replica:** 3.2 t The originals ### Both original Radegasts survived There were two versions of the statue from the outset. At the Maška foundry in Prague - the one that later produced the equestrian statue of Jan Žižka on Vítkov - **two identical casts** were made using a smaller model. The casts were made of artificial stone: concrete with crushed granite around an iron frame. The original from the ridge was restored after being dismantled and stands today **in the entrance hall of the town hall in Frenštát pod Radhoštěm** - in its sculptor's home town. The second cast was to stand in a house Polášek planned to build in Frenštát; that never happened. The statue was forgotten - until workmen found it at the turn of the 1950s and 1960s **under a layer of soil and leaves in the garden of the former Maška foundry**. It had probably been hidden there from the German occupiers during the Second World War. After restoration it was given to Zoo Praha, where it stands to this day. One statue has thus become three: the replica on the ridge, the original in Frenštát and its twin at the Prague zoo. ![The original Radegast statue in the entrance hall of the town hall in Frenštát pod Radhoštěm](https://d.zpusteven.cz/ccmedia/1280/socha-radegasta-frenstat.avif) Both originals from 1931 - switch to see where each one stands Foto: [Radek Bartoš, Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Radegast%5FStatue%5F-%5FOriginal.jpg), [CC BY 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/), výřez Timeline ## A hundred years of one statue From the first variants in America in 1924, through a dramatic unveiling, to the granite replica standing on the ridge today. 1. 1924 ### The first variants in America Albín Polášek starts work on Radegast; several forms of the work are made in the USA. 2. 1930 ### Casting and the journey to the ridge The final form is created in a Prague studio and the Maška foundry casts two identical pieces. A lorry and a team of ten horses bring the statue up to the ridge - together with the statues of Cyril and Methodius that Polášek made for Radhošť at the same time. 3. 1931 ### The ceremonial unveiling The statue is unveiled on 5 July during the Slavic Pilgrimage. The day before, lightning killed a soldier on guard duty beside it. 4. ~1960 ### The second cast is found Workmen find the forgotten second original in the garden of the former Maška foundry, apparently hidden there during the occupation. After restoration it goes to Zoo Praha. 5. the 1980s ### Repairs against weathering The statue on the ridge, damaged by lightning and mountain weather, is repaired; the concrete patching does not last long, however. 6. 1995 ### The original is taken off the ridge The weathered statue goes to a conservation workshop in Leskovec near Vsetín. It serves as the model for a granite copy carved from a block from the Sedlčany quarry. 7. 1998 ### The granite replica on the ridge On 29 June a faithful granite copy returns to the original spot. The original finds a home in the town hall in Frenštát pod Radhoštěm. Visit ## Plan your way to the statue The statue stands in the open by the ridge path - a visit is best combined with a walk to Pustevny and Radhošť. ### Where exactly #### On the ridge, about 1.5 km from Pustevny The statue stands right beside the broad ridge path from [Pustevny](https://zpusteven.cz/en/pustevny) to [Radhošť](https://zpusteven.cz/en/radhost), at 1,105 m a.s.l. It is about half an hour's walk from Pustevny; from the statue it is another 2 km or so to Radhošť's summit with the chapel. ##### Open in maps [Mapy.com](https://mapy.com/en/zakladni?x=18.2530732&y=49.4825344&z=17&source=coor&id=18.2530732,49.4825344) · [Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=49.4825344,18.2530732) ##### Other places nearby (off the route) [The Cyrilka lookout pavilion](https://zpusteven.cz/en/altan-cyrilka) · [Cyrilka Cave](https://zpusteven.cz/cyrilka-cave) · [Mořské oko](https://zpusteven.cz/en/morske-oko) · [Čertův mlýn](https://zpusteven.cz/en/certuv-mlyn) · [Kněhyně](https://zpusteven.cz/en/knehyne) · [The Greiffka hunting lodge](https://zpusteven.cz/greiffka-hunting-lodge) The ridge route ### Getting here: along the ridge No road leads to the statue - the way to it is the ridge walk from Pustevny to Radhošť, from one side or the other. The finest approach (about 1.5 km) starts at Pustevny. The whole walk is about 4 km; you can see the route on the map. 1. 1 #### [Pustevny](https://zpusteven.cz/en/pustevny) starting point The walk starts at the Pustevny saddle. Before heading up the ridge, take a look at the Art Nouveau mountain lodges [Libušín](https://zpusteven.cz/en/libusin) and [Maměnka](https://zpusteven.cz/en/mamenka) by Dušan Samo Jurkovič. 2. #### Along the ridge to the Radegast statue ~1.5 km · you are here Follow the ridge to the granite statue of the pagan god Radegast by Albín Polášek - the sculptor who also made the statues by the chapel. 3. 2 #### From Radegast to the chapel +2 km From the statue, continue along the ridge for about another two kilometres to Radhošť's summit itself. You have views over both sides of the Beskids for practically the whole way. 4. #### [Radhošť's summit and the chapel](https://zpusteven.cz/en/radhost) destination Czechia's highest religious building - and beside it the statues of the missionaries, looking back across the ridge towards Radegast. 5. ↓ #### [Onward: down to Rožnov](https://zpusteven.cz/hiking/pustevny-radhost-roznov) an option without a car Don't want to go back the same way? From the chapel you can [walk down the trail past the open-air museum Valašské muzeum v přírodě to Rožnov pod Radhoštěm](https://zpusteven.cz/hiking/pustevny-radhost-roznov). Check the return bus connection to Pustevny before setting off. The descent is shown as a dashed line on the map. **From the other side:** you can also leave the car in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm and walk the ridge in the opposite direction along the [Pustevny - Radhošť - Rožnov route](https://zpusteven.cz/hiking/pustevny-radhost-roznov) - from the chapel to the statue is then about 2 km. A full-day walk, shown with a dashed line on the map. ### Before you set out #### Freely accessible all year The statue stands in the open by the ridge path - **no admission fee and no opening hours**. #### Weather on the ridge You are standing in open ground above 1,100 m a.s.l. - the weather changes fast here and the wind blows even in summer. **An extra layer is useful** almost always. #### Refreshments and toilets There are **a snack bar and composting toilets** by the statue. The snack bar's hours vary - do not count on it being open. #### The originals down in the valleys The original statue from 1931 stands **in the entrance hall of the town hall in Frenštát pod Radhoštěm** (accessible during office hours); the second cast can be seen **at Zoo Praha**. To finish ## A few extra facts and a test ### A quick recap **How many Radegast statues are there and where can I find them?** Three. The granite replica from 1998 stands on the ridge, the 1931 original from the ridge is in the entrance hall of the town hall in Frenštát pod Radhoštěm, and its twin (the second cast from the same mould) is at Zoo Praha. **What is the statue on the ridge today made of?** Granite. It is an exact copy of the original, carved in 1998 after mountain weather and a lightning strike had damaged the original in artificial stone. **Who made the statue and when was it first unveiled?** Albín Polášek, born in Frenštát, a professor at the Art Institute of Chicago. It was ceremonially unveiled on 5 July 1931 during the Slavic Pilgrimage on Radhošť. **What is the easiest way to reach the statue?** On foot along the ridge path - about 1.5 km from Pustevny, about 2 km from the chapel on Radhošť. No road leads to the statue. Where next ## The ridge and its surroundings The ridge walk and the legend of Radegast are told on the neighbouring page about Radhošť. The other places are close by on the way to the statue. [Radhošť and the Chapel of Saints Cyril and Methodius](https://zpusteven.cz/en/radhost) - The ridge walk and the legend of Radegast · The path from Pustevny to Radhošť, the summit with the Chapel of Saints Cyril and Methodius, and the legend of the pagan god the mountain is named for - the wider story the statue is part of. · Přejít na stránku → [Brána Pusteven](https://zpusteven.cz/en/brana-pusteven) - Where people set out from · The gateway to the Pustevny complex, with the information centre, where you sort out the practicalities: car, bus, chairlift and parking. · Přejít na stránku → [Cyrilka Cave](https://zpusteven.cz/cyrilka-cave) - The underground close to the statue · A fissure opened by the sliding of the ridge and a hibernation site for bats - Czechia's second-longest pseudokarst cave, only a short way from Pustevny. · Přejít na stránku → [Mořské oko](https://zpusteven.cz/en/morske-oko) - A stop on the way · A small lake that Beskid walkers dug themselves in 1894 - today a protected pool with three species of newt, a short way from Pustevny. · Přejít na stránku → --- Source: [The Radegast statue on the Radhošť ridge, by Albín Polášek](https://zpusteven.cz/en/socha-radegasta) - zPusteven.cz. When citing, please link to the page.