One hundred years ago, the Radecký monument disappeared from Malostranské Square

Prague - The monument to Austrian Marshal Jan Josef Václav Count Radetzky of Radče adorned Prague's Malostranské náměstí for more than 60 years, but after the fall of the monarchy, the reminder of the loyal servant of the Habsburgs began to be bothersome. Shortly after October 28, Prague firefighters covered the bronze monument, and on May 16, 1919, the dismantling began. For some time, however, the tall granite pedestal remained in place until it was removed during the year 1921.

The unveiling of the monument, which depicted Radetzky being carried on a shield by his loyal soldiers, was an extraordinarily festive moment. The work of sculptors Christian Ruben and Josef and Emanuel Max, supposedly cast from enemy-captured cannons, was unveiled in November 1858 - ten months after the marshal's death - by Emperor Franz Joseph I himself. The monument stood in the location of today’s tram tracks, with Radetzky holding a banner looking towards the today's seat of the Chamber of Deputies over to Mostecká Street.

Less than ten years after Radetzky disappeared from the lower part of Malostranské náměstí, a monument to the French Bohemist Ernest Denis was unveiled here in October 1928 - just a few meters away. However, it only lasted at the site for 12 years before the figure symbolizing the founding of Czechoslovakia had to disappear during the German occupation. Denis's statue, however, faced a much worse fate than that of Radetzky’s, which can still be seen at the Lapidarium of the National Museum at Výstaviště. The bronze scholar sitting in a chaise lounge was cut up, and the metal ended up in scrap collection.