| Stalin Monument | |
|---|---|
| Czech:Stalinův pomník | |
 The Stalin Monument and pedestal, viewed from the west | |
 | |
| Artist | Otakar Švec |
| Completion date | May 1, 1955 |
| Type | Sculpture |
| Medium | granite |
| Subject | Joseph Stalin |
| Condition | Demolished November 6, 1962 |
| Location | Prague, Czech Republic |
| Coordinates | 50°05′41.38″N14°24′57.97″E / 50.0948278°N 14.4161028°E /50.0948278; 14.4161028 |
Stalin's Monument (Czech:Stalinův pomník) was a 15.5 m (51 ft)granite statue honoringJoseph Stalin inPrague,Czechoslovakia. It was unveiled on 1 May 1955 after more than5+1⁄2 years of work, and was the world's largest representation of Stalin. The sculpture was demolished in late 1962.
The structure was commissioned after theCommunist Party of Czechoslovakiaseized power in Czechoslovakia in 1948 with Soviet backing.[1] It was designed to showcaseStalinist ideology and was constructed on an elevated site on Letna Hill in Letná Park, overlooking the city centre of Prague.[2]
_%25C3%25A9s_Szt%25C3%25A1lin_szobra_fel%25C3%25A9_n%25C3%25A9zve._Fortepan_51330.jpg)
The monument was located on a huge concrete pedestal on the flattened Letna Hill, which can still be visited inLetná Park. It was the largest group statue in Europe, measuring 15.5 m (51 ft) high and 22 m (72 ft) long.[3] The monument weighed 17 million kilograms, and consumed thirty thousand granite slabs.[4]
Forced labour was used during the monument's construction. In 2021, archaeological excavations in Letná Park uncovered the foundations of alabour camp which housed workers involved in the monument's construction.[5] According to historical documents, the camp consisted of three woodenbarracks, each accommodating up to 40 inmates in eight-person rooms, with minimal facilities. The laborers were described as soldiers and individuals deemed politically unreliable by the communist regime.[2]
The monument was officially unveiled on May 1, 1955. It was officially titled"A Monument to Love and Friendship." The sculptor wasOtakar Švec, who killed himself a few days before the unveiling.[6]
Stalin died in March 1953,[7] two years before the unveiling of the monument, and the process ofde-Stalinization began shortly after its completion.[2] The monument, therefore, became a liability to theCommunist Party of Czechoslovakia.[6][2] As ordered by theSoviet Union, it was taken down with 800 kilograms (1,800 lb) of explosives.[6][2] The remains of the statue are stored in chambers beneath the site.[2]
In 1990,pirate radio stationRadio Stalin operated from a bomb shelter beneath the statue'splinth. The same shelter was also the home of Prague's first rock club in the early 1990s. Since 1991, the marble pedestal has been used as the base of a giant kinetic sculpture of ametronome. In 1996, the pedestal was briefly used as a base for a 35-foot-tall (11 m) statue ofMichael Jackson as a promotional stunt for the start of hisHIStory World Tour. A billboard promotingCivic Democratic Party leaderVáclav Klaus was erected on the site during theCzech parliamentary elections of 1998 but was removed soon after due to high winds.
A green plaque below the metronome reads:
Metronome
Letenské sady
The Metronome, the work of sculptorVratislav Karel Novák [cz], was erected in1991 atop the massive stone plinth thatoriginally served as the basefor the monument to Soviet leader JosefVissarionovich Stalin.Work began on Prague's Stalin monumenttowards the end of 1949, and in May 1955,it was finally unveiled. The largest groupsculpture in Europe during its existence,the monument had areinforced-concretestructure faced with 235granite blocks,weighing 17,000 tonnes and costing140 millioncrowns to complete.The gigantic composition, by sculptorOtakar Švec and the architectsJiří [cz]andVlasta [cz] [his wife] Štursa, did not tower for longover the medieval centre of Prague:in connection withSoviet criticismof Stalin's "cult of personality," the workwas dynamited and removed towards the endof 1962.
The City of Prague has been considering several options for redevelopment of the site for years, including a plan to build an aquarium.[8] The remainingsocle is a popular meeting point for skateboarders and other people.[9]
| International | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
