EN
The submitted study introduces a theme from the field of the commemorative culture, particularly the memorials formerly dividing and uniting the population of the multiethnic regions. We demonstrate this issue on the example of the memorials of Josef II and Hans Kudlich erected in the German-speaking regions of the Czech lands at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. These memorials, representing the symbols of of unity of the German-speaking population, widened the cultural gap between the Czech and German inhabitants. Subsequently, we outline the fate of the memorials during the times of changes of political systems in the Czech lands (1918, 1945). The final section of the study is centred around the two selected memorials that were restored after 1989 and have thus become a sort of symbol of reconciliation with the past.