The Fireman Saint

Frydek, the eastern half of the twin towns Frydek-Mistek, has a lovely old castle (now a museum) and a beautiful town square, jewels within the industrial squalor of the modern town. More intriguing, however, is the statue in the town square of the patron saint of firemen - St Florian.

At the time I made the film - and misled by the guide book - I was under the impression that there was some special connection between the town and the saint, but I discovered similar statues in other towns in the area. I can only assume that the old wooden buildings that were so common in pre-communist times were such a fire risk that special devotion to the patron saint of firemen was considered a wise safety precaution!