TIC BRNO ↓ WHAT IS BRNO? Statues in the City WHAT IS BRNO? Statues in the City There are many sculptures, not only (Statues for Brno) project, which monuments and plaques, within Brno has further expanded the scope which represent evidence of events of these memorial sculptures. In that have been inscribed in the 2016, the Jan Skácel Memorial was city’s history or which inadvertent- unveiled as the latest result of this ly illustrate the city’s development long-term strategy. Works were cho- with their presence. Similarly, im- sen for this guide to help present the portant individuals have their actions city and its institutions to visitors commemorated by monuments, both and even residents and to include conspicuous and not, which can be both emblematic works and those used to tell the stories connected to unjustly forgotten. their actions. In December 2005, city leaders approved the Sochy pro Brno 01 Parnas Fountain 15 Bears (Medvědi) (Kašna Parnas) 16 Reindeer Hunter 02 Old Town Hall portal (Lovec sobů) (Portál Staré radnice) 17 Memorial to the Red Ar- 03 Statue dedicated my’s Victory over Fascism to W. A. Mozart (Památník vítězství (Socha věnovaná Mozartovi) Rudé armády nad fašismem) 04 Courage / Jobst of Moravia 18 New Age (Nový věk) (Odvaha / Jošt Lucemburský) 19 Memorial to the Victory 05 Justice (Spravedlnost) over Fascism (Památník vítězství 06 Multifunctional timepiece – nad fašismem) Brno Clock (Multifunkční hodinový stroj) 20 Memorial to the Founding of the Worker Movement 07 Tribute to Edison (Památník založení (Pocta Edisonovi) dělnického hnutí) 08 Memorial to 21 Decorative Wall for Concrete the Poet Jan Skácel Prefabs (Dekorativní stěna (Památník básníka z betonových prefabrikátů) Jana Skácela) 22 Satellite / 09 Pint Pea (Pulihrášek) Five Circle Segments (Družice / 10 Disappearance of Pět segmentů kruhu) Maria Bartošová into the Brno Underground (Zmizení M. Bartošové v brněnském podzemí) 11 Birds (Ptáci) 12 Cunning Little Vixen (Liška Bystrouška) 13 Atlases (Atlanti) 14 Trade and Tolerance (Obchod a Tolerance) 19 ŽABOVŘESKY 15 STRÁNICE 16 18 BRNĚNSKÉ VÝSTAVIŠTĚ ŠTÝŘICE 22 21 VEVEŘÍ ČERNÁ POLE PARK 13 LUŽÁNKY 14 12 11 BRNO-STŘED 17 MORAVSKÉ NÁMĚSTÍ 4 5 NÁMĚSTÍ 7 SVOBODY 8 HRAD ŠPILBERK 2 6 9 10 3 20 1 STARÉ BRNO HLAVNÍ NÁDRAŽÍ ČERNOVICE 1 J. B. FISCHER VON ERLACH WITH T. KRACKER AND A. RIGA (CREATED 1690–1696) Parnas Fountain The Parnas Fountain on Zelný trh Empire and Christianity. Inside the recess (Vegetable Market) was initiated by the stands the figure of Hercules holding the Brno City Council based on a design by three-headed dog Cerberus, guard of the the Austrian architect Johann Bernhard underworld. On the sides of the cave Fischer von Erlach, who was contract- stand three figures representing Greece, ed to make it in 1690, though it was not Persia, and Babylon. According to Greek finished until six years later. Its central mythology, Mount Parnassus, which sits themes are the battle between good above the Greek city of Delphi, was sa- and evil, the victory of order over chaos, cred to Apollo and the home of the Muses. and, in a broader sense, an expression Tradition states that the fountain’s name of the city’s loyalty to the Habsburg em- comes from an incorrect interpretation, peror. The sculpture is shaped as cliffs wherein triumphant Europe was taken with a cave. On top stands an allegory for Apollo and the figures of the ancient of Europe symbolizing the Holy Roman empires for the Muses. Zelný trh (Vegetable Market) 2 ANTON PILGRAM (CREATED 1510–1511) Old Town Hall portal The late Gothic Old Town Hall portal of Lady Justice with her typical attri- was made by the sculptor and archi- butes of a sword and a balance. This tect Anton Pilgram, who was apparently is a more recent version of the original a Brno native. He participated in such from 1660. The withering pinnacle above projects as St. James’ Church and gained Lady Justice is not an act of spite by the the greatest fame for leading construc- sculptor, but an expression of the late tion at St. Stephen‘s Cathedral in Vienna, Gothic style inspired by organic forms where he is credited with the richly dec- and natural themes. orated pulpit and where he left behind a self-portrait. The Brno portal is a late Gothic pointed arch with pinnacles grow- ing up from the ribbing in which there are figures of burghers and heralds. The composition is crowned by an allegory Radnická 8 3 KURT GEBAUER (CREATED 2006–2007, UNVEILED IN 2008) Statue dedicated to W. A. Mozart During an epidemic of smallpox in Vienna decided to commemorate famous people in October 1767, Leopold Mozart feared connected to the city through art instal- his kids would get infected and so brought lations, the first choice was W. A. Mozart. them to Moravia. But his young composer The competition announced in 2006 was son didn’t manage to avoid infection and won by a design by the Prague sculptor had to undergo treatment in Olomouc. He and university professor Kurt Gebauer soon recovered and spent Christmas and for a statue dedicated to the composer New Year’s with his family in Brno, where as the body of a child with an adult face the 11-year-old Wolfgang and his sister balancing on a clavichord that looks like Nannerl held a concert on 30 December it’s sliding off a five-metre-tall column. in what is now Reduta Theatre. When at the end of 2005 the Brno City Council Zelný trh (Vegetable Market) 4 JAROSLAV RÓNA (CREATED 2015) Courage / Jobst of Moravia The placement of this monumental eques- are prudence (represented by a model trian statue in front of the Governor’s Palace of the city as it looked in 1645 when it in 2015 represented the culmination of defended itself from the Swedes), justice Moravské náměstí (Moravian Square) ren- (a statue by Marius Kotrba depicting a fig- ovations, which were based on plans by ure taking justice into its own hands), and the Brno architect Petr Hrůša. The statue temperance (symbolized by a fountain). symbolizing courage, by the Prague sculp- The public reacted ambivalently because tor Jaroslav Róna, completed the three courage is personified in Margrave Jobst elements which the architect intended to of Moravia, who from 1381 to 1405 fought be reminiscent of the four cardinal virtues a protracted war in Moravia for power with which, according to Plato, a well-run city his brother Prokop. must have. In addition to bravery, these Moravské náměstí (Moravian Square) 5 MARIUS KOTRBA (UNVEILED IN 2010) Justice This statute has lain in front of the Supreme burdens and the fi ght for justice, which Court on Moravské námětí (Moravian should maintain balance in society. The art- Square) since 2010. It’s one of the four ist expressed the theme through a heavy dominating features (Justice, Courage, load lightened by a stream of water. Temperance, and Prudence) through which architect Petr Hrůša intended to unify the space of Moravské náměstí (Moravian Square). The bronze statue depicts a man lifting a heavy block. It’s a refl ection on Moravské náměstí (Moravian Square) 6 OLDŘICH RUJBR, PETR KAMENÍK (UNVEILED IN 2010) Multifunctional timepiece – Brno Clock This polished granite work has been on Even with instructions for how to tell the náměstí Svobody (Freedom Square) since time placed close at hand, it’s a relatively 2010. The unique object stands almost six difficult task. But it’s easy to tell when 11:00 metres high and its shape is meant to evoke is approaching. When the clock strikes 11, a gigantic bullet. According to its creators, it’s possible to catch a glass ball in one it should remind us of the heroic defence of the four holes in the side. On special of the city against the Swedes during the occasions, the machine gives out balls Thirty Years’ War. The clock itself is in the every hour. machine’s two highest rotating segments. náměstí Svobody (Freedom Square ) 7 TOMÁŠ MEDEK (CREATED 2008) Tribute to Edison The stainless steel statue Pocta Edisonovi front of Reduta Theatre on Zelný trh was the second work to be made within (Vegetable Market). In creating this the Sochy pro Brno (Statues for Brno) statue, Tomáš Medek used the repeat- project, which aims to commemorate im- ed motif of a light bulb as a reminder portant people connected to the city. that what is now Mahen Theatre, which The first work was a statue dedicated opened in 1882, was the first theatre in to Mozart by the Prague sculptor Kurt Europe with electric lighting. Gebauer which in 2008 was placed in Malinovského náměstí (Malinovsky Square) 8 JIŘÍ SOBOTKA (CREATED 2016) Memorial to the Poet Jan Skácel The memorial dedicated to the Brno stylized portrait of the poet formed by poet Jan Skácel (1922–1989) is the re- 4,500 stainless steel tubes welded to- sult of a competition announced by the gether. The sculpture was ceremoniously Brno City Municipality in 2015. A total of unveiled in October 2016. Since 2006, 44 projects were evaluated, and the de- poetry by Jan Skácel has adorned both sign by Brno sculptor Jiří Sobotka was se- the small and large fountains on náměstí lected for completion. This proposal pre- Svobody (Freedom Square). sented the sculpture as a large-format park Špilberk (Špilberk Park) 9 NATALIE CHALCARZOVÁ, TOGETHER WITH VÁCLAV KOCIÁN (CREATED 2013) Pint Pea The seasonal installation Pulihrášek is evenings, is also a reminder that in the the winning design from a student com- nearby Augustinian abbey from 1856 to petition for art made from old pint glass- 1863 the founder of modern genetics es announced by the Starobrno brewery Johann Gregor Mendel conducted his when presenting their new pint glasses.