The curious story of the statue of a cursed knight that apparently come to life every 100 years

Just in the top-right corner of Prague’s Mariánské náměstí (Marian Square), and very close to other attractions, stands an imposing statue known as Iron Knight, an artwork that draws on the city’s rich medieval folklore and gothic heritage.
Day or night, sun or rain, it is always there, waiting to awaken once again!

Well, the statue commemorates an ancient legend tied to Prague’s Old Town.
This dark figure, that stands tall and intimidating, in full armor and wrapped in a twisted cape, is crafted in a style that merges realism with gothic horror.
The knight’s armor is rendered in meticulous detail, with sharp lines and dark tones that make it appear as though it could spring to life, under the right circumstances, and this amazing work of art is especially striking at night.
The story of the Iron Knight comes from a local tale about Jáchym Berka, a knight who was transformed into a statue as punishment for his misdeeds.
He served King John of Luxembourg, early in 14th Century, and was known as the Iron Knight because of his black armour.
According to the legend, he was engaged to be married with the daughter of a blacksmith who made armor and lived at Platnéřská street 119/19, not far from Old Town Square, but the knight had to leave to fight in one of the many battles that raged in that era.
However, when he returned, he heard rumors (true or false) that his betrothed had been unfaithful. Some versions of the story say he killed his sweetheart, others that he married another and his former fiance died by suicide drowning herself in the river and her father to kill himself by jumping from a tower. When the new wife becomes a drunkard he realises his mistake, kills the wife and then commits suicide by hanging. Either way, upon his own death the knight was condemned to eternal life as a statue, doomed to remain immobile unless he could be redeemed with the help (or kiss) of a virtuous woman.
Only then might the knight be freed from his iron imprisonment.
It is also said that every 100 years the statue comes to life and walks the streets near his corner in search of a pious girl who can help him atone for his sins.

One year, some people say 1909 but the real date is unknown, the knight appeared as a ghost to a young woman and told her his sad tale. He said that if she showed up the next day of her own free will, he would take her to the stone figure and so she could break the curse. She agreed, but somehow her mother, who had planned that she would marry a tram driver from a good family, and thought her involvement with a ghost, no matter how well-intentioned, would jeopardize the marriage, found out.
The young woman was locked in her room, and the mother showed up instead but, as she was not a virgin of pure heart, the curse remained unbroken.

People also jokingly call the statue “the Darth Vader of Prague,” due to its striking similarity to the notorious Star Wars character.
However the statue was erected long before George Lucas, 1976 Star Wars director, was born, and actually even before his father was born!
Before 1907 this area was a mix of commercial and residential buildings but the city had earmarked it for destruction to be replaced by the Nova Radnice, the New Town Hall, that stands on the site of a Romanesque church that was torn down in 1798.
The building was meant to be a tax office, but has been City Hall since 1945.
The architect chosen to create this new building was Osvald Polivka, who was becoming well-known for mixing classical styles with Czech legend and, still today, i’m sure Prague City Hall is the only administrative building in the world with a statue of a cursed ghost!
A work by sculptor Ladislav Šaloun, and added to City Hall in 1926, the statue of the knight also appears on the Five of Cups in The Tarot of Prague deck, and symbolizes, not by chance, loss and bereavement.

Images from web – Google Research