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Baroque statues

Building activity in the 18th century left Svitavy with a distinctly Baroque character. Church interiors were adorned with masterworks from local and distant artists and numerous columns dedicated to saints and wayside crosses were erected alongside roads, on bridges, and in the parks and gardens of Svitavy.

Statues often stood along field paths or on the outskirts of the town. In addition to the Marian Pillar from 1703 the town square also features the St. Florian Fountain (1783), a niche of the Marian church holds Tischler’s sculpture Noli me tangere, and treasures can even be found on U Tří Dvorů Street below the cemetery. The most attractive statue, the Holy Trinity Column (1734), has been ascribed to artists of the Pacák circle, though the influences of the M. B. Braun school are readily apparent in the work. Sturmer's Ecce Homo sculpture was installed next to the Holy Trinity Column; today the work has been restored, though not with the original polychromatic finish. A statue of St. John Nepomuk by an unknown master and dating to around 1708 stands in front of the rectory. There is also a statue of St. John at the site of a former bridge across the Svitava River at Brněnská Street. G. A. Heinz, a native of Lačnov, created the work in 1725. The restored Marian Pillar from the beginning of the 19th century is located nearby on Hraniční Street. Many crucifixes and Marian sculptures have not been preserved but the highly attractive Pieta from 1713 on Pražská Street in front of the sports hall is a fine example of High Baroque art.