The monument to Ján Langoš (1946–2006) – a key figure in the Slovak dissident movement, founder of the Nation’s Memory Institute, active member of the Public Against Violence movement, and Minister of the Interior of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic in 1990 and 1992 – was created by the sculptor J. Hoffstädter. Evoking the pages of a book, it comprises a tall bronze plaque with decorative curves along its edges. The lower section of the plaque bears information about the life of Ján Langoš, and below it is a hook for a wreath. The upper section of the plaque features a portrait in high relief. The finely modelled and realistic portrait, with a touch of idealisation, depicts Langoš in three-quarter profile. The motion motif, slight turn of the head to one side, unbuttoned shirt, and faint hint of a smile all contribute to the casual feel of the image. The commemorative plaque with relief is mounted on a rectangular stele that comprises two stacked travertine blocks, the upper block featuring an angled top.
The plaque was installed in 2007 directly on a façade near the entrance to the then building of the Nation's Memory Institute on SNP Square. The building subsequently became the seat of the Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic, at which time the building was renovated and the plaque removed. Following pressure from the Ján Langoš Foundation, the monument was re-unveiled in 2010. However, the relief panel could no longer be mounted on the façade, and so was mounted on a vertical pillar set into a stone part of the pavement in front of the building, where it remains to this day. The building, originally constructed in the late 1930s as a bank following a design by Jindřich Merganc, is clad in white travertine. The same material was used for the stone section of the Ján Langoš monument.
NB
Research status as of 28. 02. 2024.