Tolerance : Anton Brenek

Tolerance : Anton Brenek

The allegorical statues of Trade (Obchod) and Tolerance (Tolerance) were originally part of a larger, elaborate monument to the Habsburg Emperor Joseph II, which was unveiled in 1892 on Moravian Square (Moravské náměstí) in Brno.

sculptor: Anton Brenek

The sculptor of the entire monument, including the central statue of the emperor and the allegorical figures, was Anton Brenek (1848–1908).

He was an Austrian sculptor who was, fittingly, born in Brno (then Brünn, part of the Austrian Empire).

His Czech name is often cited as Antonín Břenek.

Brenek studied in Vienna and became a prominent sculptor of the Ringstraßenstil, a grand, historicist style popular in Vienna during the late 19th century. He created numerous architectural sculptures, monuments, and portraits, and this monument in his hometown was a major commission.

History of the Monument

Creation (1892): The bronze monument was unveiled in 1892 in the park on Moravian Square, which was at the time a predominantly German-speaking part of the city. The monument was a grand, multi-tiered structure. The central bronze statue depicted Emperor Joseph II, and at the base were the two allegorical figures in question:

Tolerance: A female figure holding a torch and a shield inscribed with "Concordia Religionum" (Unity of Religions), a direct reference to Joseph II's famous Patent of Toleration of 1781, which granted religious freedom to non-Catholic Christians.

Trade: A male figure holding attributes of commerce, such as an anchor and a scroll, symbolizing the economic reforms and modernization Joseph II championed.

Dismantling (1919): The monument's fate was sealed with the end of World War I and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Following the declaration of the new Czechoslovak Republic in October 1918, the statue—seen as a potent symbol of the old Habsburg monarchy and German cultural dominance—was torn down by a crowd of Czech nationalists in early 1919.

Separation and Relocation: The monument's pieces were scattered and had different fates:

Statue of Joseph II: The main statue of the emperor was damaged and later found buried. In 1988, it was eventually re-installed, but far from the city center, in the park of the Psychiatric Hospital in the Černovice district of Brno, where it remains today.

Statues of Trade and Tolerance: These two allegorical statues survived. They were first moved to Denisovy sady (Denis Gardens) and later, in 2003, were relocated to their current, prominent home in Lužánky Park, the oldest public park in the Czech Republic.