Hyde Park in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Masaryk Memorial Monument

1850 - 1937

Thomas Garrigue Masaryk Monument image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, December 4, 2021

1. Thomas Garrigue Masaryk Monument

Inscription. Rising out of the fertile Bohemian soil, the Blanik Mountain stands eternally vigilant, its verdant slopes sheltering a wealth of age-old folklore. According to an old legend, slumbering within its cool mountainous depths, the Blanik Knights stand guard, ready to ride forth, with Saint Wenceslaus to lead them in their nation's hour of need.

Thomas Garrigue Masaryk, Czechoslovakia's first president symbolized in flesh this legendary vigilance, when in the fury of World War I, his Czechoslovak Legions fought to realize the nation's fondest dream. Thus cast in bronze the Blanik Knight is but a monumental symbol of Thomas G. Masaryk's eternally valid ideals of freedom, democracy and humanity.

The Masaryk Memorial Monument was created by Albin Polášek sculptor, completed in 1949 and dedicated May 29, 1955. This memorial plaque presented by the Masaryk Memorial Dedication Committee.

Erected 1955 by Masaryk Memorial Dedication Committee.

Topics. This historical marker and monument is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Government & Politics. A significant historical date for this entry is March 7, 1850.

Location. 41° 47.213′ N, 87° 35.409′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Hyde Park.

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Marker is on Midway Plaisance, in the median. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1130 Midway Plaisance, Chicago IL 60637, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Charles E. Merriam Center for Public Administration (approx. 0.2 miles away); John Dewey (approx. ¼ mile away); Museum of Science and Industry (approx. half a mile away); The Norway Building (approx. 0.6 miles away); Enrico and Laura Fermi (approx. 0.6 miles away); Site of the First Self-sustaining Controlled Nuclear Chain Reaction (approx. 0.7 miles away); Obama Kissing Rock (approx. 0.9 miles away); Harold Washington (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

Also see . . .
1. Thomas Garrigue Masaryk Monument (Chicago Park District).

"Czechoslovak statesman and scholar Thomas Garrigue Masaryk (1850–1937) led his country to independence during World War I and went on to serve as the first President of Czechoslovakia from 1918 to 1935. Earlier in his life, Masaryk spent time in the United States, particularly as a visiting professor of Slavic Studies at the University of Chicago. Soon after he died in 1937, Chicagoans of Czech descent began raising funds for a monument in Masaryk’s honor."

(Submitted on January 7, 2022.)

2. Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (Wikipedia).

"Tomáš
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, December 4, 2021

2. Masaryk Memorial Monument - wide view
Note that the picture on the monument directly above the marker is incidental and not part of the monument/marker itself.
Garrigue Masaryk (7 March 1850 – 14 September 1937) was a Czechoslovak politician, statesman, sociologist, and philosopher. Until 1914, he advocated restructuring the Austro-Hungarian Empire into a federal state. With the help of the Allied Powers, Masaryk gained independence for a Czechoslovak Republic as World War I ended in 1918. He co-founded Czechoslovakia together with Milan Rastislav Štefánik and Edvard Beneš and served as its first president."

(Submitted on January 7, 2022.)

Blanik Knight statue atop the memorial image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, December 4, 2021

3. Blanik Knight statue atop the memorial

Directly below the statue of the knight, on both sides of the statue, is an inscription reading:
Dedicated to
Thomas Garrigue Masaryk
Crusader for Truth
Teacher Liberator Statesman
"Jesus not Caesar"
"Truth will prevail"

<i>Thomas G. Masaryk, President of Czechoslovakia, 1918-1935</i> image. Click for full size.

courtesy of the New York Public Library

4. Thomas G. Masaryk, President of Czechoslovakia, 1918-1935

Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 7, 2022, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 345 times since then and 55 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 7, 2022, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.