Central Station: The statue of the Brethren in a nearby park is shrouded in sail.
On the way from the train through Vrchlického sady towards the tram, you can’t miss the bronze statue of two embracing soldiers. He is a Prague barricade man who hugs a Red Army soldier. The statue contains a celebration of the end of World War II. About a week ago, however, the statue was wrapped in a blue tarp, and the people of Prague began to wonder why it happened.
Covered only for practical reasons
The most common thought was that it is about solidarity with Ukrainebecause the statue depicts a Soviet soldier. People discussing on social networks mostly adhered to this vision, and some even strongly condemned it. “This is a monument to Brethren in Prague, please, in the adaptation of today’s heroic Russians. If you, the demented constraints, are bothered by the monuments, then go to the hot bar with the anti-Russian propaganda, “wrote Pavel E. indignantly in one of the Prague groups.
But nothing is as hot as it seems at first glance. And in the case of the Brethren statue, this is true twice. The statue is covered for purely practical reasons, which was also confirmed by the spokesman of Prague 1, Petr Bidlo. “We are now handing over the statue of Brethren to the capital. The shift was approved by the capital, with the proviso that it will be given the administration of Vrchlický sady and we (Prague 1) will receive the Havel market. They have to take over from us by the end of March. ”So Prague 1 had the statue packed mainly for preventive reasons, in order not to damage it, it should not be moved. The land exchange has been approved by the municipality, and Vrchlického sady plans to revitalize it.
Interesting history
Given the current Russian aggression in Ukraine, people could interpret the statue differently than it originally intended. This work that created by renowned sculptor and Myslbek’s pupil Karel Pokorný, was not created at the request of the Communist Party after the February coup in 1948. For the first time ever, a statue on this topic appeared in Česká Třebová. “A local citizen, imprisoned in a concentration camp during the war, he promised to have a monument erected in the city if he survived. For this purpose, he addressed the sculptor Karel Pokorný, “says Jan Šindelář in his study of the Sbratření sculptural group.
While the statue appeared in Česká Třebová in the early 1950s, Prague had to wait until 1960 for its Brotherhood. the architectural part was elaborated by Jaroslav Fragner. He designed a simple square plateau with a prismatic plinth, on which was a protrusion for attaching wreaths and a plastic stone inscription on May 9, 1945, “says Šindelář.
As the fall of communism approached, the statue also inspired folk literature. “Folk folklore has produced, among other things, four verses: Statuophile early in the morning / kisses the statue of the guerrilla / but appreciates the most / Humble Brotherhood. There is also a symbolic connection with the gay community, whose unofficial monument is sometimes considered a work. After November 1989, the sculptural group of undeniable artistic value remained in its place, the longest in its history in Prague, ”concludes Šindelář.
Vrchlického sady near the main railway station
Author: CNC / Jan Zázvorka