One of the earliest records of the use of the term Růžový palouček – Rose Meadow – (henceforth referred to as RP) is considered to have been the 1378 deed of foundation of the Carthusian Monastery Rubus beatae Mariae in nearby Tržek , as this term could be translated as the Rose Meadow of the Virgin Mary. RP became widely known in 1834 thanks to the writer V. J. Picek, whose article Růžový Palouček mentions an area densely overgrown with roses, hence Růžový palouček (Rose Meadow), and links it with the legend according to which Russian soldiers camped and prayed here during their campaign against Napoleon. In 1836, the pastor Josef Kačer tells J. E. Purkyně about how elders from a nearby village recount that under the reign of Ferdinand “II or III” Czechs met at RP to hold a final prayer meeting, that during the preceding war against Napoleon Russian soldiers prayed here, and that anyone who attempted to plough the meadow would have bad luck. In 1861, Kačer publicized the information that the Cossacks new RP well and that “it is renowned in the history of the Czech Brethren. The scattered settlements of our exiles (…) still tell of this sacred place of wonder today.” The pastor's texts as well as the legends concerning a buried gold chalice and seven kings, who would meet after a terrible battle to make peace forever, are central to a collection of legends and tidings about RP which were merely altered and developed by further additions to them (see Legends of Old Bohemia by Jirásek). In 2011, the historian Milan Skřivánek wrote: “RP is a symbol which was, to a certain extent, created intentionally and artificially.” So far, “nobody has presented positive or at least slightly trustworthy evidence that Czech Brethren actually bade farewell to each other at RP, nor do the earliest records of RP mention such an event. The marked anti-Catholic tone of the newly created symbol is evident from the very first instance that RP was linked to the traditions of the Czech Brethren. “
Ever since the second half of the 19th century, RP has been a destination for trips and a place for public meetings. In 1865, the Society of singers Vlastimil laid a commemorative stone with a lyre, which can still be seen today. From 1870 to 1909, a cross was erected here to commemorate the victims of a fire at a building for drying hemp in nearby Újezdec. During the 1890s, there was notion that land with a few trees in the open countryside could be acquired for the public and a monument could be built on it. The Society for the acquisition of “Růžový Palouček” for the public near Oujezdec, based in Litomyšl was set up. The land was purchased in 1906, with the society having right of disposition, and the owner being the District Council. In the same year, a road was built to RP and several years of negotiation commenced, initially concerning its design (among others, the sculptor Quido Kocian promised cooperation) and later, concerning the acquisition of a monument to Master Jan Hus. However, all plans were thwarted by the First World War.
In 1920, the architect Alois Metelák created a design for a monument to A Komenský at RP. However, those responsible decided that a work of art of such high artistic value in such a secluded setting would be exposed to all possible “harmful influences”, and so it was given to Litomyšl (02-VP6). Therefore, Metelák, at that time teaching wood and metal working at the District Technical College in Litomyšl, along with that school's headmaster, the constructor Karel Preis and several “idea” consultants, created three designs for another artwork – a Monument to the Czech Brethren. The ceremonial unveiling of both artifacts (the third, metal version was chosen for RP) created by the pupils of the abovementioned school from copper imported by the Legions from Russia, was on the 19th of June 1921. In the spring of 1924, work commenced on landscaping a park around the monument, and was carried according to a design by the winner of a public design competition the Prague landscape architect J. A. Kulišan. The premises were fenced off and, after several years, an entrance gate created by the pupils of the above-mentioned technical college was installed.
The monument itself is located inside a chased metal cage, “whose artistic appearance has been endorsed by the artist-saint Master Plečník” (according to members of the society in period). It is composed of metal slabs clad with copper sheets featuring relief work, and is topped with a chalice-shaped capital bearing a gilded globe with figures of Czech Brethren wandering the world. The capital is an allegorical representation of their activity (preachers, teachers) and sacrifice (exile), and the prism-shaped column symbolizes their virtue and belief (e.g. the bird and nest endangered by snakes represents the unity of the brethren surrounded by enemies). The names of the foremost brethren and exiles from the Litomyšl region can be also found on the monument, as can a dedication to those who erected the monument. Even though two plaques with a text by Alois Jirásek, “Nation, do not succumb, do not die! The governance of your affairs will return to you” were removed during the Protectorate, a period which the monument itself survived. There is also a commemorative inscription on the metal cage. The monument reflects the influence of the designer's mentor, Josip Plečnik, especially as regards the application of the impressive combination of copper and gold, a typical feature of Plečnik's design projects for adaptations to Prague Castle.
