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Letna park – Animal sculptures

Letna 3 Where: These sculptures are located in Letna park, next to the Letna beer garden and opposite of the Letenský zámeček restaurant in Prague 7. GPS: 50.096060, 14.426267

What: There are in total 5 animal shaped sculptures and are at their current location from 2005. Made from ceramic and concrete, these large brightly colored animals (2 red, 1 yellow, 1 blue and 1 green) were created for both adults and children. To be inviting to the eye and encourage playful interaction.

Who: The artist name is Alexandra Koláčkovás (1964). Alexandra is a Czech sculptor. Her sculptures can be found in Czech Republic but also abroad. A characteristic feature of Alexandra Koláčková’s work are colorful large-format sculptures made of ceramics and concrete for public use that really bright up a location.

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Karlovo Namesti – Eliska Krasnohorska

IMG_0259[1] Where: This statue is located on Karlovo Namesti (Charles Square) in Prague 2 near one of the entrances to the metro line and the tram stop. GPS: 50.075965, 14.419597

What: It is a statue of Eliška Krásnohorská and was unveiled in 1931. The autor of the statue is Karla Vobišová-Žáková. The monument is carved from a single block of white marble. It depicts, a slightly larger then in life, Eliška Krásnohorská standing in a dress with a cape tied at her neck holding a scroll of papers. She is standing on a small pedestal which has the inscription Eliška Krásnohorská.

Who: Eliška Krásnohorská (18th of November 1847 – 26th of November 1926) was a Czech author and a pioneer of the women’s movement. She wrote works of lyric poetry and literary criticism, however, she is usually associated with children’s literature and translations. In 1890 she founded the Minerva School in Prague. This was the first gymnasium for girls in Austria Hungary and its language of instruction was Czech.

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Ostrovni street – Vojtech Hynais

Vojrech Hynais buste

Where: This bust with plaque is located on Ostrovni 2 in Prague 1, right behind the National Theatre (Narodni Divaldo). GPS 50.080409, 14.414020

What: It is a bust with a plaque of text that commemorates Vojtech Hynais. It reads; “Here, the famous Czech painter Vojtěch Hynais lived and died, the creator of the National Theater curtain. To our Honorary Chairman from the Unity of Artists in Prague”. It was installed in 1933 and created by Jakub Obrovsky.

Who: Vojtech Hynais (14 January 1854, Vienna – 22 August 1925, Prague) was a prominent Czech painter. He mainly painted religious and mythological images, focusing on integrating the human and the natural using particularly female nudes. Vojtech is mostly remembered for creating a new curtain for the National Theater after the fire of 1881. The curtain celebrates the dedication of the Czech nation that was showed in rebuilding the National Theater. He also was a professor at the Prague Academy of Fine Arts. He is buried at the famous Vysehrad cemetery.

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Petrin Hill – Ferdinand Laub Statue

Petrin 2 Where: This statue is really hard to find. It is at the end of a dead end road on Petrin Hill, Prague 1. It is close to the statue of Jan Neruda as well as The Fountain of 2 playing boys. GPS: 50.082807, 14.400177.

What: It is a statue of Ferdinand Laub. The statue depicts Laub sitting with a violin in his left hand. This statue was created by Vojtěch Sapík in 1913. Originally it was located in Křivoklát, were Ferdinand had lived and moved to its current location on Petrin Hill in 1950.

On the base of the statue there is a plaque with the text: “Ferdinand Laub world famous violinist from the famous triple stars Jos.Slavík, Ferd.Laub, Fr.Ondříček. The faithful son of the Czech nation, a friend of Bedřich Smetana, Franz Liszt, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Founder of a violin school at the Moscow Conservatory, etc. * January 19, 1832 in Prague, at Újezd (U Ježíšků) +18.3.1875 in Gries (Tyrol). Buried from 1950 in Vyšehrad”.

Who: Ferdinand Laub (January 19, 1832 – March 17, 1875) was a famous Czech violin player. Starting with his first public appearance already at the age of six, he was considered a well-admired violinist winning awards all over Europe. Ferdinand worked with famous musicians especially Tchaikovsky, who dedicated String Quartet 3 to Laub after his death in 1875. Ferdinand Laub has been reburied in 1950 in the famous Vysehrad cemetery.

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Lesnicka street – Albert Einstein

Where: This bust is located on Lesnicka street number 7 in Prague 5 . This street is between the Jiraskuv and Palackeho bridges . GPS: 50.073837, 14.408589

What: It is a bust of the famous scientist Albert Einstein. The text below the bust reads “Here lived and worked in 1911-1912 Albert Einstein” The bust was unveiled on the 13th of March 1979.

Who: Albert Einstein (14th of March 1879 – 18th of April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is most famous for developing the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics. Already the author of this Theory, Einstein moved in April of 1911 to Prague where he was appointed as the professor of theoretical physics at Prague’s Charles University. He worked and lived in Prague only for 16 months. In July of 1912 he accepted the chair of theoretical physics at the Polytechnical Institute of Zurich in Switzerland. This ended his stay in Prague.

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Petrin Hill – Karel Hynek Macha

Where: A bit hidden on Petrin Hill after passing the statue of Jan Neruda and the fountain of 2 playing boys in Prague 1. GPS: 50.081774, 14.401985

What: It is a bronze statue of Karel Hynek Macha. He is standing with his right hand leaning on the wall, on which there is an open notebook and in his left hand he is holding a bouquet of lilacs. The pedestal is made of granite and the plaque mentions his name, date of his birth and of his death. The statue was created between 1910 and 1912 by Josef Václav Myslbek and Architect Antonín Balšánek

Who: Karel Hynek Mácha (16 November 1810 – 5 November 1836) was a Czech romantic poet. His most famous poem is considered to be “Maj” (May in English) which was published shortly before his death in 1936. It is now considered to be one of the best Czech poems ever written. However recognition of his work came only after his death. Czech nationalists and academics discovered and rehabilitated Mácha. Originally buried in a pauper grave, in 1939 his remains were exhumed, and were given a formal state burial at the famous Vyšehrad cemetery in Prague.

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Hlavni nadrazi – Brotherhood

Where: In the park named Vrchlického sady which is in front of Prague’s main train station (Hlavní nádraží), and really close to the Hlavní nádraží tramstops on Bolzanova street in Prague 1 , GPS: 50.085662, 14.435455

What: This bronze statue is named “Brotherhood” (Sbratření) and commemorates the liberation of Czechoslovakia by the Red Army during World War II. It depicts a Czech partisan greeting a Red Army soldier with a kiss and a bouquet of lilacs.

This statue is actually a replica of the between 1947 – 1950 created monument by Karel Pokorný. The original you can find in the city of Ceska Trebova. The inspiration for this statue was a picture by the Czech photographer Karel Ludwig which was made during the liberation of Prague in May 1945.

Who: Karel Pokorný (January 18, 1891, Pavlice – February 14, 1962, Prague) was a Czech sculptor and university professor. He was a student of Josef Vaclav Myslbek who is a prominent representative of Czech realism. As a university teacher he first worked at the Czech Technical University. Later he became a professor at the Academy of Performing Arts, were he also held the position of rector during the years 1948 to 1950.

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Kampa park – Yellow Penguins

Where: Next to the Kampa Museum in Kampa park, Prague 1, you can find this artwork in the river Vltava. GPS: 50.084232, 14.408989

What: The artwork is called “March of the Penguins Yellow” and consists of 34 very bright yellow penguins which light up at night. The Penguins are made out of recycled plastic materials and were originally part of the exhibit “RE-evolution” at Kampa Museum in 2008.

Who: The artwork is created by a number of international artists who call themselves the Cracking Art Group. Their use of recycled plastic and bright colored animal shapes in unexpected places is to inspire a conversation about the importance and the environmental impact of recycling as well as to investigate the close relationship between natural and artificial reality.

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Karlovo Namesti – Dr. Vaclav Benda

IMG_0262[1]

Where: At Karlovo Namesti (Charles square), in Prague 2 at house number 287 and opposite of tramstop Novoměstská radnice. It is a small walk from the Palacky monument. GPS: 50.077495, 14.419256

What: It is a plaque with a sculptured head that commemorates Dr. Václav Benda. The plaque reads; “In this house, from 1969-1999 lived and fought for freedom and democracy Dr. Václav Benda dissident and politician”.

Who: Dr. Václav Benda (August 8, 1946 – June 2, 1999) was a Czech political activist. While originally striving for an academic career, this all ended when he refused to join the Communist party in 1970. Benda became active in the dissident movement against the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and was one of the founding members and a signatory of the Charter 77 in 1977.

This Charter was a document that criticized the Communist government for failing to implement national and international human rights provisions it previously agreed with. Charter 77 was signed by various influential people who represented all sorts of occupations, political viewpoints, and religions.

For his role as a spokesman for Charter 77, Dr. Václav Benda was arrested in 1979 and imprisoned until 1983 by the communist regime. After the fall of communism in 1989 he went into politics and became the first chairman of the Christian Democratic Party, the KDS and stayed active in different political positions until his death in 1999.

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Chotkovy Sady – Julius Zeyer

Julius Zeyer Where: You can find this monument in Chotkovy sady, which is the public garden between Letna Park and the Royal garden. GPS: 50.093840, 14.408108 in Prague 1.

What: As mentioned on it, this monument commemorates Julius Zeyer. It was unveiled on September 16, 1913 and was created by the sculptor Josef Mauder (December 1, 1854 – November 15, 1920) . The monument is in the shape of a cave which is made from granite with marble statues in it. The statues represent characters from Zeyer’s works. On the other side of the rock formation you can find a plaque with a list of those works in golden letters.

Who: Julius Zeyer (April 26, 1841 – January 29, 1901) was a Czech writer, playwright and Romantic poet. Two of his most famous works are the poems Vyšehrad (1880), and Karolinská epopeja (1896). In his work he often blended foreign legends and history with national themes particular to Czech society and history. He is buried in the famous Vyšehrad cemetery in Prague.