František - Statue of a little boy with a fish

History of the statue František

The original statue of František was created in 1934 by the sculptor Adolf Mayerl from Cheb. The statue originally stood in the garden of the Esplanade Spa House. Later (after 1945) it was moved to the place in front of the Social House, where it still stands today. Unfortunately, the original statue of small Francis has been damaged several times. In 1960, the statue was replaced by a copy by the sculptor Vítězslav Eibl from Mariánské Lázně. However, the copy of František did not last long and was probably irrevocably destroyed at the turn of 1961 and 1962. The Spa Commission recommended that the statue of Francis should not be restored and that the statue of Mother and Child by Jindřich Wielgus (now on display in front of the Glauber Springs Hall) should be replaced. However, the desire of some of the townspeople to have a statue of František here was so great that the photographers of the Municipal Company eventually had the original Mayerl statue repaired and displayed it in various places in the town when the weather was suitable. The statue of small boy Francis then disappeared for a long time to an unknown destination and was only discovered after the revolution in the studio of photographer Jana Havlová, who donated it to the museum, where it is still freely accessible to visitors today. The statue, which you can admire today at Spring František, is therefore already the severalth copy. The authors of the current statue of František from 1967 are Oskar Kozák and Jiří Lendr from Prague. Like Mayerl´s original statue, this one sits on a sphere and holds a fish in its hand, thus preserving at least a partial connection between the two works. However, the sculptors were not able to imitate the original sculpture´s chubbiness and overall appearance.

The Legend of Francis

The legend of local photographer Otto Škarda is also linked to the statue of František. One of the most beloved Czech legends says that a woman who touches the statue will become pregnant within a year, because František is the most powerful healing sources of Františkovy Lázně. And which is the right place? Everyone says differently, but it´s supposed to be the left foot. We will add that the fish that Francis holds tightly in his hands symbolizes fertility.

With František at every step...

Little boy Francis will accompany you literally every step of the way when you visit Františkovy Lázně. As you walk through the town, look carefully at the end of the signposts. We wish you a pleasant walk.

Statue of Francis

• The statue of Francis is somewhat hidden by a hedge and may not be visible at first look.
• The statue of František is freely accessible all year round.