A City Tour of Interesting Statues
Do you like art and architecture and are missing tours of beautiful interiors, expositions, and art presentations? Set off with us as we follow the steps of fine art that you would typically miss on your “normal commute”. Which pieces do we find most interesting?
You will find links to the locations of the statues below in the article.
The most significant statues
In place of the original city walls and moat, the historical centre of Pilsen is surrounded on three sides by a green belt of gardens. They entice visitors to stop by and relax awhile, and they’re named after the very characters you’ll find captured here in larger-than-life form.
Josef František Smetana was a distinct naturalist and astronomer, Martin Kopecký, on the other hand, was a significant Pilsen burgomaster. In Křižíkovy sady, you’ll find the monument of František Křižík, the inventor of the arc lamp, as well as that of Josef Kajetán Tyl near the J.K. Tyl Theatre, which bears his name.
Playful art
Puppeteering in Pilsen has a long tradition, which has been commemorated with Spejbl and Hurvínk, who, as of last year, now have two statues in Pilsen. In addition to the bronze statue that has decorated the area near the Hotel Continental in Šafaříkovy sady since 2002, another piece of bronze art was added by the Czech-Canadian sculptor Ley Vivot. As if its life depends on it, this work watches over St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral on Republic Square, which it’s facing. It’s especially looking forward to the attention it’ll get from children and their parents with cameras at the ready.
Plenty of attention has also been paid to Adam Trbušek’s pink rabbit, located in the Lochotín neighbourhood. Not only is it pink but rather quite hungry. It’s actually holding a headless body in its hands, which still causes quite a stir to this day. For the more tender-hearted parents, we recommend visiting the Mill Race, where their young ones can enjoy playing on the painted “heads”. These contemporary, colourful statues by Tereza Adamcová and Pavel Pražák remind visitors of the work of Salvador Dali and, apparently, the children quite enjoy them.
Art at DEPO2015
In the creative zone at DEPO2015, many intriguing statues and installations from current artists have been placed, including several pieces from the not-so-distance past. For instance, Girl with Bouquet, made of gilded laminate by Zdeňek Jílek, the monument of treated copper Dělnická soudržnost (the Worker’s Compactness), as well as the iconic Škoda symbol from the grounds of Škoda Works in Pilsen. The most significant work in the depot courtyards is undoubtedly The Crocheted Tower (Háčkovaná věž), an art piece by Čestmír Suška, made of decommissioned steel tanks, on which you can climb to the top and enjoy the view. The attention may be stolen, however, by a new, 6.5 m tower, the I tube installation, created by the playful artist Ben Tolar out of steel bathtubs.
