After the war of 1866, many songs appeared with lyrics describing the horrors and tragedies of the wartime event.
The best known one - The Brave Hero Cannoneer Jabůrek, which originated sometime around 1884, is still sung today. It parodies former laudatory street-ballads and describes the heroism of an Austrian artilleryman who did not stop firing even after losing both arms and his head. It is also known under the titles Cannoneer Jabůrek, There by Hradec of the King or At the Cannon There Stood…
The song, which has 16 verses, humorously describes the unbelievable military successes of cannoneer Franz Jabůrek, who destroys an entire Prussian regiment. Although Prussian shots inflict various injuries on him, he still does not give up and keeps 'loading'. When a cannonball tears off his head and it flies past the general, Jabůrek apologizes that he cannot salute. For his deeds he is elevated to the nobility with the honorary title Edler von Jaburek.
The author was inspired by several traditional stories about fearless soldiers from different wars. A certain Jabůrek, who took part in fighting on the island of Vis in 1866, allegedly ordered the guns to be loaded with a double charge, thereby reportedly putting the whole Italian fleet to flight. The magazine Dampfschiff wrote in 1854 about a heroic artilleryman on a Turkish frigate. When an enemy shot shattered his right arm, he took the fuse in his left hand, and when he lost that too, he took the fuse in his teeth and continued fighting.
'The story of cannoneer Jabůrek is, alongside the theatre play that presents the fictional life story of cannoneer Franz Jabůrek and other characters, also one part of the series of 12 stories about the Battle of Hradec Králové 1866, which we processed graphically and which from May will appear on posters, the web and social networks,' said Radek Balcárek, director of the commemorative events project.
At the Cannon There Stood, or The Battle of Hradec Králové: performance dates
12 May from 19:00 renewed premiere + 20:00 Phenomenon Drak, 14 May from 16:00
28 June from 10:30
29 June from 10:00
1 July from 10:00
2 July from 16:00
3 July from 16:00