Klácelka is a man-made cave

Cave

A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...

 in a forest

Forest

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

 near Liběchov

Libechov

Liběchov is a small town in Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic located about 36 km north of Prague on right bank of the Elbe River, approximately in half way between towns of Mělník and Štětí....

, Czech Republic

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

. It is known for its complex of sculptural works made by sculptor Václav Levý. The name of the cave and the sculptures commemorate František Klácel

František Klácel

František Matouš Klácel was an Augustinian author, philosopher, scientist, pedagogue, and journalist from Moravia....

 (1808 - 1882), a theologian and philosopher. It was created during the 1840s.

At the time of carving the Klácelka, Levý was an untutored young man. He chiseled from sandstone

Sandstone

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...

 rock a cave that is an allegorical "Blaník

Blaník

Blaník is a mountain in the Czech Republic. Its height is 638 meters above sea level. The surrounding area is a small natural reservation.Ancient legends are associated with this mountain. The legend says that a huge army of Czech knights led by St. Wenceslas sleeps inside the mountain. The knights...

" - a hall of sleeping heroes. These include the leader of the soldiers of the mythological army sleeping in Blaník and Hussite

Hussite

The Hussites were a Christian movement following the teachings of Czech reformer Jan Hus , who became one of the forerunners of the Protestant Reformation...

 leaders Jan Žižka

Jan Žižka

Jan Žižka z Trocnova a Kalicha , Czech general and Hussite leader, follower of Jan Hus, was born at small village Trocnov in Bohemia, into a gentried family. He was nicknamed "One-eyed Žižka"...

 and Prokop Holý. The walls of the cave are festooned with relief

Relief

Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...

s from fairy tales of Lišák Ferina by Klácel.

The theme of Blaník, central to the Klácelka, harks back to Protestant symbolism and the memory of the Hussite Wars

Hussite Wars

The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars involved the military actions against and amongst the followers of Jan Hus in Bohemia in the period 1419 to circa 1434. The Hussite Wars were notable for the extensive use of early hand-held gunpowder weapons such as hand cannons...

, notwithstanding the Catholic

Catholic

The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

 monarchy

Monarchy

A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...

of the times.