What is "klacelka"

Klácelka is a man-made cave in a forest near Liběchov, Czech Republic. It is known for its complex of sculptural works made by sculptor Václav Levý. The name of the cave and the sculptures commemorate František Klácel, a theologian and philosopher. It was created during the 1840s.

At the time of carving the Klácelka, Levý was an untutored young man. He chiseled from sandstone rock a cave that is an allegorical " Blaník" - a hall of sleeping heroes. These include the leader of the soldiers of the mythological army sleeping in Blaník and Hussite leaders Jan Žižka and Prokop Holý. The walls of the cave are festooned with reliefs from fairy tales of Lišák Ferina by Klácel.

The theme of Blaník, central to the Klácelka, harks back to Protestant symbolism and the memory of the Hussite Wars, notwithstanding the Catholic monarchy of the times.