The National Monument includes the third largest bronze rider statue in the world, of Jan Žižka, who defeated Catholic forces led by King Sigismund in 1420 in the Battle of Vítkov Hill.

In 1953 the Central Committee decided to establish the Klement Gottwald Mausoleum in the Monument, which remained there until 1962.

In 2000, the National Memorial was acquired by the National Museum and after major restoration work, the Memorial was opened to the public on 29 October 2009.