Prague will replace the calendar on the astronomical clock with a new copy, created by AVU

Prague – Prague will commission the production of a new copy of the calendar of the Old Town Astronomical Clock and will install it in place of the criticized version that was created during the reconstruction of the Old Town Hall tower a few years ago. The city council approved an agreement today with the company Subterra, which was responsible for the reconstruction along with Avers. According to the agreement, Subterra will ensure the dismantling of the existing calendar at its own expense and the installation of the new copy, and will also produce a new copper backing plate. Prague will then pay for the artistic decoration of the new plate, which will be created by the Academy of Fine Arts.

The reconstruction of the clock was completed in 2018, and after a few years, criticism of the design of the new calendar plate emerged last year, created by painter and restorer Stanislav Jirčík. Among others, the member of the Club For Old Prague, Milan Patka, criticized Jirčík's interpretation of the calendar, whose original version was created in 1866 by Josef Mánes, and filed a complaint with the Heritage Inspection.

According to subsequently published images, the new copy differs from the original in several details, and Jirčík significantly altered the appearances of some figures. The painter defended himself by saying that he was supposed to create a technological copy, where the task is not to create an exact replica of the original work. The previous leadership of the city hall stated that it wanted to replace the plate, but construction companies did not want to acknowledge the complaint.

From subsequent negotiations, according to the document approved today, an agreement was reached, whereby Subterra will secure the construction part of the replacement and the city will have a new artistic representation of the calendar created. "The creation of a new painting of the clock’s plate should be ensured for the client by the Atelier for the Restoration of Visual Art Works and Polychrome Sculptures at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, which will ensure the necessary quality of the work," states the approved document. The estimated cost is to be one million crowns excluding VAT; similar costs are expected for Subterra for the production and installation of the plate.

According to the city hall, the agreement reached is more feasible than a prolonged legal dispute. "The settlement agreement should resolve the dispute between the client and the contractor now. Any potential court dispute would be time-consuming, at least at the beginning it would burden the client with additional financial costs, and the outcome of a court dispute can be expected rather in the timeframe of years," the document states. City spokesman Vít Hofman added that the current plate will remain the property of the city and will go to the other copies held in the collections of the Museum of the Capital City of Prague.

The calendar or monthly calendar was created by Josef Mánes in 1866 for the then-renovated Old Town Astronomical Clock. Since 1882, a copy of the work has been hanging on the clock, while the original was placed in a museum to prevent damage from weather conditions.