Klacel Monuments

Margaret H. Peaslee [click here to return to my home page]

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Monuments to František Matouš (Ladimír) Klácel

It was through contacts with Dr. Vítězslav Orel, Emeritus Head of the Mendelianum in Brno, Czech Republic, that I became aware of the work of František Matouš (Ladimír) Klácel. Klácel was already a member of the Monastery faculty when Mendel joined in 1843. At that time Klácel was in charge of the experimental garden plot which he soon turned over to Mendel. It was there in the garden and the greenhouse that Mendel's remarkable genetic studies were conducted.

For a more complete version of the life and work of František Matouš (Ladimír) Klácel, it is suggested that the reader obtain a copy of the paper, "F.M. (Ladimír) Klácel: Teacher of Gregor Mendel," published in KOSMAS: Czechoslovak and Central European Journal, Fall, 2001, Volume 15, Number 1, pages 31-54. Authors of this paper are Margaret Heřmánek Peaslee and Vítězslav Orel.

Česká Třebová, Czech Republic

Klácel was born on April 7, 1808, to a Czech family living in Česká Třebová on the border between the provinces of Moravia and Bohemia, now included in the Czech Republic. The town is situated in a valley of the river Třebovka. The first lasting settlement was here from around the 1200 and the Rotunda of St. Kateřina (Catherine) from about 1335, which is the only preserved Romanesque building in eastern Bohemia, comes from this period.

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Portion of orientační plán města (town plan) of Česká Třebová showing Klácelova Street and Staré náměstí (old square)



Česká Třebová Staré náměstí looking west		Česká Třebová Staré náměstí looking east


North end of Klácelova Street looking south, photo taken July 2002	North end of Klácelova Street, photo taken July 2002	Klácelova Street looking north, photos taken July 2002
*		*	*
Klácel and his family lived in the house that stood on this site until 1918, when it was destroyed		School in Litomyšl where Klácel studied.	Klácel was born here in 1808, son of a shoemaker. Later the family moved to a nearby house (see left).
*Photographs taken by S. Nakazawa in 1976

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Rotunda of St. Kateřina looking north	Rotunda of St. Kateřina looking south	Card from the archived collection of Klacel's papers maintained by his family


Gate into cemetery at Česká Třebová	Sign inside entrance to cemetery which reads: ORIENTAČNÍ PLÁN MĚSTSKÉHO HŘBITOVA V ČESKÉ TŘEBOVÉ VÝZNAČNÉ HRUBY 2. MUDr. FRANTIŠEK RYBIČKA 1813-1890 PRVNÍ VOLENÝ STAROSTA Č. TŘEBOVÉ LÉKAŘ-LIDUMIL, PŘÍTEL B.NĚMCOVÉ A F.M. KLÁCELA	Monument at Rybička Family tomb
		The sign at the entrance shows the plan of the City Cemetery of Česká Třebová and provides a list of distinguished individuals buried there with the location of their graves. Individual #2 is Doctor of Medicine František Rybička (1813-1890), who was the first elected major of Česká Třebová and a good friend of Božena Němcová and F. M. Klácel

Hory, wooded hills area west of Česká Třebová

Klácel and many of his scholarly friends spent their leisure time relaxing in the rich forests and calm places found in the region. Traveling west on a steep, narrow road one encounters a restaurant, especially bustling on holidays. A sign on the building identifies this as a favorite spot of Klácel and the noted Czech author, Božena Němcová.

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Restaurant in Hory	Sign on restaurant	Wooden building across the road from the restaurant. Perhaps this served as the refreshment stand in 1851?

Hory, as presented in Dvorakova, Zora. 1976. František Matouš Klácel: studie s ukazkami z dila. 1.vyd. Melantrich, Praha, 285 p.[František Matouš Klácel: A Study with Samples from His Work].

Brno, Czech Republic

A monument recognizing Klácel was built later (in 1978) in the courtyard of the Augustinian Monastery in Brno. It is of white Bulgarian limestone in the shape of a standing sheaf of papers, symbolizing the manuscript of Klácel’s main social work, expressed in his letters to Božena Němcová. On the back of the monument is found the inscription, "National revivalist, philosopher, humanitarian, pedagogue, journalist, Utopian socialist."

klacel mon monasteryx.jpg (205816 bytes)

The Klácel Monument at the Augustinian Monastery

Belle Plaine, Iowa

Klácel came to the United States of America in 1869, where he worked, wrote, and taught in a number of different cities in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. He died in the home of František Zalesky at Belle Plaine, Iowa, in 1882.


Home of František Zalesky	Family of František Zalesky

A monument was erected at Klácel's grave in the Belle Plaine Cemetery.

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The curbstone in front of the monument carries Klácel's famous quotation, "Osmělme se zmoudřeti," ["Let us not be afraid to grow wise"].

Chicago, Illinois

On July 26, 1885, the Klácel Monument, built at the Bohemian National Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois, was dedicated. The monument is located in the center of the Klácel Circle, and around it are plaques commemorating individuals significant in Czech-American history.

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You can reach me by E-mail: peaslee@pitt.edu Czech diacritical marks are visible when these pages are viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer. Photographs and written material are the property of Margaret Heřmánek Peaslee, unless otherwise noted. Copyright, 1998-2007, Margaret Heřmánek Peaslee.

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