Stompfe Cross in Václavská street
The Stompfe cross, which was procured by Anton Stompfe in 1800 , is the oldest one in Hrádek nad Nisou. The so-called Zwerger cross by the catwalk over the Nisa river in Loučná was even a year older, unfortunately it was destroyed by the flood in 2010.
You can find the cross in Václavská street No. 231 in a spot chosen by Anton Stompfe, originally opposite the old mill and neighbouring millrace, later replaced by the thread company, which does not exist there anymore either.
Anton Stompfe’s motivation for getting a new monument is not known, the only information found in the municipal chronicle tells us about the cross’ reconstruction in 1929.
The period after the World War II was not a good time for these kinds of monuments; nevertheless, a local citizen Mr. Sitte was brave enough to at least paint the cross and thus extend its life. The response of the State Police came immediately by visiting Mr. Sitte two days later and Mr. Sitte remained unpunished only thanks to his colleagues who stood for him.
The original metallic and hand-painted cross with the silhouette of a crucified Jesus was set on a sandstone pedestal. The metallic remains of the original cross inspired the creation of an exact copy of the original cross in 2010. Modern but respectful methods were used for the work such as the airbrushing of Jesus Christ by a local artist Václav Beneš. The sandstone, including the original inscription, was renewed by another local, a stonemason Josef Tichý. The inscription says: “Those who believe in Jesus Christ and are able to see His bitter suffering and death will not be lost in any of the four parts of the world.”. Below the text both the year of its creation and the name of Anton Stompfe can be found.
There is an interesting story about the cross reinstatement and the big flood in 2010. The above mentioned artist Václav Beneš lost his workshop to the river during the flood and he was never going to restore it. He only changed his decision because he had been asked to make a new cross. In the end it took him less than two months to finish his work and the cross could be finally reinstalled and consecrated on 28th October, 2010.
Since its last renovation the cross has been set on the town’s property as the city of Hrádek nad Nisou purchased the site from its original owner.