For the statue of the monk at the listed building, the company faces a fine

Uherské Hradiště - The Synot Real Estate company faces a fine of up to 100,000 crowns for illegally placing a monk statue on the building of the Slunce hotel in the center of Uherské Hradiště. It is a monument-protected object, and the hotel owner did not apply for permission from the heritage protection authorities. This is reported by today's Právo.
    "We are already addressing the unauthorized installation of the statue. In the first phase, we will notify the owner of the building that they have not fulfilled the obligations arising from the law and that they should rectify the situation," said Radka Borunská, head of the heritage conservation department of the town hall.
    According to experts, there is also another problem related to the statue of the unknown monk, misleading legend about him on the neighboring memorial plaque. It speaks of a Franciscan monk who, due to his prayers in 1334, protected Uherské Hradiště from the invasion of Hungarian enemies. The statue, however, is dressed in a Capuchin robe.
    "Moreover, this is not an unknown monk, but the canonized Italian Father Pio, who died in 1968. This statue is commonly produced in Italy, and the people who placed it on this building probably had no idea who it was," stated academic sculptor Otmar Oliva. The founder of the Synot holding, Ivo Valenta, explained that it is a private marketing initiative.
    "I am convinced that the statue of the monk placed at the corner of the hotel, as well as the legend drawn from real historical sources, is an excellent marketing tool. In other cities where the holding owns gastronomic or accommodation establishments, we often look for overlooked or forgotten attractions that can help the region, especially in developing tourism," Valenta added.