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STATUE OF HONOR (“THE ANTIPRANGER”)
Location: Bistrica ob Sotli
Category: Skulptures, monuments and memorials
The statue of honor, made by Franci Černelč, is located against the Bistrica ob Sotli municipality. The big stone is made of limestone and sandstone and has a hole made through it in a shape of the pillory. The statue of honor is meant for everyone who deserves to be treated with special honor.
Bistrica ob Sotli has never been a forum. The forum used to be in Kunšperk which is also where the pillar of punishment (also known as the pillory) was located.
In 1882 in Grabron’s bar, someone came to the idea that the pillory was brought to Podsreda from Kunšperk. With that said, it was decided that the pillory needs to be brought back to Saint Peter bellow the Holy Mountains (as the Bistrica ob Sotli used to be called) for it to become a forum.
One day, during the night, a group of young men decided to go to Podsreda with a horse team. They put some rags around the wheels of the carriage and horse shoes so that the people from Podsreda would not hear them. Despite the trying, the locals heard them and tried to stop them. Unfortunately for them, the pillory was stolen. On account of all the fighting, it is not a surprise for the stone ball to remain in Podsreda partly damaged.
The pillory was not safe in Bistrica ob Sotli for long, because the locals from Podsreda soon took it back. Thirty years later, the story repeated. That time the locals from Bistrica ob Sotli only took the upper part of the pillory.
To protect their pillory from potential stealing, the locals from Podsreda bricked the pillory. Jože Novak also wrote a poem about all the anecdotes that happened. All in all, “The anti-pillory” standing in Bistrica ob Sotli will for sure remain a good remainder of all the fights for the pillory between Podsreda and Bistrica ob Sotli.
Coordinates: 46.057560, 15.663468