Stanislav Rolínek (1902–1931) was an upholsterer from Bořitov who taught himself to sculpt. In under five years he created three works that people still travel to see. The first is the sculpture group of Hussites on Velký Chlum near Bořitov, dating from 1927, carved into sandstone with a fireman’s hatchet and half a pair of sheep shears. The second was the statue of T. G. Masaryk at Rudka near Kunštát, 14 m tall including its plinth, of which only the boots remain today. The third is the Cave of the Blaník Knights, with St Wenceslas on horseback and a stone lion at the entrance. Rolínek never finished it: he died of tuberculosis at the age of 29. The cave can only be visited with a guide; adults pay 150 Kč (approx. €6) — an approximate conversion, as exchange rates fluctuate — and it is closed on Mondays. The Hussites on Velký Chlum can be visited freely. It is about 22 km from Blansko to Rudka.
QUICK LINKS 👤 Who was Rolínek · 🗡️ The Hussites on Velký Chlum · 🗿 The Masaryk statue · 🐴 The Cave of the Blaník Knights · 🎟️ Opening hours and admission · 🚗 Getting there · ❓ FAQ
Rudka and Bořitov are not in the Moravian Karst itself, but in the Boskovice Furrow (Boskovická brázda), a little to the north of it. It is around 25 minutes by car from the Karst. It makes a good day out if you fancy seeing something other than stalactites. The Cave of the Blaník Knights is a cave in shape only; in reality it is a sculptor’s studio hollowed out of a sandstone hill.
Who was Stanislav Rolínek
He was born on 9 February 1902 in Bořitov, the fourth child of a poor family. His father died when he was one year old. He trained as an upholsterer and worked in furniture factories in Černá Hora and Brno. At twenty-two he fell ill with tuberculosis, which repeatedly forced him to give up work.
He had drawn and painted since childhood. His first sculpture was a girl’s face, which he carved in the sandstone quarry near Velký Chlum. According to accounts from the time, the locals mocked him. Rolínek withdrew into himself and began carving a group of larger-than-life Hussites in the woods above Bořitov.
In 1929, thanks to his exceptional talent, he was awarded a scholarship to the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, where he studied under Otakar Španiel. After a year he had to leave because of his illness. He died on 11 July 1931 in his family home in Bořitov and is buried in the village cemetery.
The Hussites on Velký Chlum
Rolínek carved the sculpture group in 1927 directly into the sandstone rock face on the slope of Velký Chlum, about 2 km north of Bořitov. He had no sculptor’s tools and worked with a fireman’s hatchet and half a pair of sheep shears. At the top stands Master Jan Hus, his right hand on his heart and his left on an open book. Below him is Jan Žižka with a shield and a mace, and beside him another Hussite warrior with a flail. Sources disagree on who this last figure is: Kudy z nudy and Novinky name him in one place as Prokop the Bald and in another as Jan Roháč of Dubá.
The sculpture was covered in the national press in 1927, which is how Kunštát butcher and entrepreneur František Burian came to hear of Rolínek.
Condition: the statues were crumbling and people kept climbing on them. In 2023 the stonemason Vítězslav Varadi junior restored them for 350,000 crowns, and the municipality put up a small fence around them. You can take photos, but climbing on the statues is no longer allowed.
Practicalities: the sculpture is freely accessible and free of charge. It stands in the forest and you cannot drive up to it. You reach it on foot from Bořitov. Plan your route on a map; a forest track leads to the statue below the waymarked hiking trail.
The Masaryk statue that is now just a pair of boots
Burian invited Rolínek to Kunštát and bought a piece of woodland with rocky outcrops on the edge of Rudka. The original plan was a bust of the president with legionaries. But when news emerged that a five-metre statue of Masaryk was being built elsewhere in Moravia, the plan changed to a single huge statue.
Work began in June 1928. Thirty labourers quarried and hauled away the rock, while Rolínek carved using a fifty-heller postage stamp stuck to the scaffolding as a guide stuck to the scaffolding. The statue was meant to be unveiled for the 10th anniversary of the republic, and it was finished in under five months. According to the press of the day, it stood 10.5 m tall on a 3.5 m plinth, with the head alone measuring 1.65 m. It was described at the time as the largest statue in Central Europe carved from a single piece of rock. At the unveiling on 28 October 1928, around thirty thousand people are reported to have gathered. Masaryk himself never saw the statue.
During the Second World War the statue was first covered with a wooden shed. According to the operator of the site, the Nazis then destroyed it after a denunciation. Today only the enormous boots stand on the plinth. At celebrations of the republic’s anniversary, a light projection of the whole statue is sometimes shown at the site.
The Cave of the Blaník Knights
Burian’s next idea was to excavate an artificial cave in Milenka Hill and fill it with the sleeping army from the Blaník legend. The cave was excavated by labourers, and Rolínek began carving in it in the early 1930s.
- St Wenceslas on horseback stands in the midst of the sleeping army and is the central figure of the whole cave. Rolínek is credited with the words: “I’ll finish St Wenceslas, and he’ll finish me.”
- The stone lion guards the entrance. Rolínek had never seen a real lion and carved it from a picture.
- Roughly worked figures. Rolínek knew his illness would not give him much time, and he worked quickly. Some of the statues were therefore left only sketched out. He never completed the work.
The surroundings of the cave are laid out as a park. Since 2009 a Sensory Garden has been taking shape, with a touch trail originally designed for the blind, and young sculptors carve new statues here at symposia. On the hill of Milenka stands the stone Burian Lookout Tower. According to the operator, in good visibility you can see the Jeseníky, the Krkonoše and Pálava from it.
Opening hours and admission
The cave can only be visited with a guide, and the tour lasts 25–30 minutes. The admission price also includes free access to the Sensory Garden and the Masaryk memorial.
| Month | Open |
|---|---|
| January–February | closed |
| March | Sat–Sun 9–12 and 13–15 |
| April | Thu–Fri 9–12 and 13–15, Sat–Sun 9–12 and 13–16:30 |
| May–September | Tue–Sun 9–12 and 13–16:30 |
| October | Thu–Fri 9–12 and 13–15, Sat–Sun 9–12 and 13–16:30, open on 28 Oct |
| November | Sat–Sun and public holidays 9–12 and 13–15 |
| December | closed |
It is open on public holidays, even if they fall on a day when it would normally be closed. There is a lunch break between 12 and 13.
| Admission | |
|---|---|
| Adults | 150 Kč (approx. €6) |
| Children 5–14 | 80 Kč (approx. €3.20) |
| Students up to 26, seniors over 65 | 110 Kč (approx. €4.40) |
| Family ticket (2 adults and up to 3 children) | 400 Kč (approx. €16) |
| Children under 5 | free |
| Burian Lookout Tower only | 30 Kč (approx. €1.20) |
| Sensory Garden only | 20 Kč (approx. €0.80) |
- Cash only: according to the operator, card payments are not accepted.
- Dogs are allowed in the grounds and in the cave on a lead.
- Photography in the cave costs 25 Kč. In winter, flash is not permitted, to protect the hibernating bats.
- Larger groups must book in advance: tel. 739 510 772 or 604 984 459, rudka.cz.
Getting there and what to combine it with
- By car: about 22 km from Blansko, about 27 km from Sloup, in both cases around 25–30 minutes. Rudka lies on the edge of Kunštát.
- Velký Chlum near Bořitov is about 12 km south-east of Rudka, not far from Černá Hora. The two sites can easily be combined into a single outing.
- Boskovice: it is about 13 km by road from Rudka to Boskovice. The castle, the château and the Jewish quarter are described in the article Boskovice.
Bořitov is also linked to one of the explanations for the name of Čertův hrádek (the Devil’s Castle); see Devils in the Moravian Karst. For more ideas for a day without stalactite caves, see the article The Moravian Karst when it rains.
FAQ
Who created the Cave of the Blaník Knights? Stanislav Rolínek, a self-taught sculptor from Bořitov, in the early 1930s. He died in 1931 and never finished the work.
How much does it cost to visit the Cave of the Blaník Knights? Adults 150 Kč, children aged 5–14 80 Kč, family ticket 400 Kč. Cash only.
Is the Cave of the Blaník Knights open in winter? In November only at weekends and on public holidays. In December, January and February it is closed.
What remains of the Masaryk statue at Rudka? Just the boots on the plinth. The statue was destroyed during the war.
Where are Rolínek’s Hussites? On the slope of Velký Chlum, about 2 km north of Bořitov. They are freely accessible and can only be reached on foot.
Information verified as of 13. 10. 2026. Sources: Cave of the Blaník Knights: about the cave, opening hours and admission prices; František Burian Foundation: Statue of T. G. Masaryk (dimensions according to the press of the day); NPÚ: In the footsteps of František Burian; Novinky.cz: Hussite sculpture group restored (4. 10. 2023); Kudy z nudy: Sculpture group of Hussite warriors; Wikipedia: Stanislav Rolínek.
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