The monument to Emperor František Josef I in Kutná hora has an interesting connection to the church of St. Barbara. Between 1884 and 1905, the temple was reconstructed. At the beginning of March 1886, the upper part of the outer pillar No. VI was dismantled and taken down, as it was very flimsy and had to be made again. For now, the original parts were stored at the construction site. ​

In 1888, on the occasion of the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the reign of Emperor FJI, the leadership of the Kutnohorsk peasant school set up a monument to the monarch in the park in front of the side entrance to the Jesuit dormitory. When building the monument, they used the original decorative parts of the outer pillars, the so-called violets. The foundation of the monument was a low brick plinth, on which the monument itself was assembled from parts of several different violets. A commemorative plaque was placed on the front side of the plinth with a text commemorating the 40th anniversary of the emperor's reign. This plate was removed after the creation of Czechoslovakia. This, at first glance, lost the link of the monument to Emperor FJI, and the monument still stands in its original place today. Mr. Lukáš Provaz, chronicler of the city of Kutná Hora, confirmed this to me. ​

In 2011, the emperor's monument and many other valuable Kutnohora monuments were reconstructed. A detailed description of the reconstruction can be found at http://www.nadaceunescokh.cz/files/zaverecna-zprava-programu-regenerace-2011.pdf ​

On pillar No. VI, at the height of the upper corridor, a Czech inscription relating to the restoration of the church of St. Barbara: ​

During the glorious reign

emperor and king of Bohemia

Francis Joseph I. It was repaired

repair of the presbytery at a cost

empire, country, choir Vocel

made in 1884-1888.

God grant long duration 

     the sanctuary of this!

From the book: History of the restaurant and completion of the Cathedral of St. Virgin Barbara in Hora Kutná 1884-1905 ​