Representatives of Prague 6 unveiled the first statue of Maria Theresa in the Czech Republic

Prague – The park by the Prášný bridge in Prague 6 is adorned with the first domestic statue of the Habsburg monarch Maria Theresa. The monument, for which Prague 6 paid its author approximately 3.6 million crowns, was unveiled today to the public by representatives of the city district and the sculptor Jan Kovářík. The creation of the statue of the Austrian monarch and Czech queen had been planned by the city district since 2013.

"It is a significant statue in the public space that will provoke debates," said the deputy mayor of the city district, Jakub Stárek (ODS). He stated that the statue of Maria Theresa can now also be viewed online from this morning. The website of the city district features a digital "twin" of the statue along with an account of the monarch.

The statue is located in the park, which the Prague magistrate named Maria Theresa Park at the request of the city district. The official presentation of the statue of the only woman on the Czech throne was intentionally scheduled for October 20, according to the deputy mayor of Prague 6, Jan Lacina (STAN). On this day in 1740, Maria Theresa ascended to the Austrian throne.

The monument, designed by sculptor Kovářík together with architect Jan Proksa, resembles a figure from the game "Ludo." "Many people comment that it has no resemblance. However, we wanted to symbolically highlight the majesty of Maria Theresa, not to create a realistic likeness, and to provoke questions. Currently, this statue actually has an educational character, as it compels people to take an interest in Maria Theresa. That is, to find out who she was, what she looked like, and so on," Kovářík told ČTK. The statue of the monarch is on a pedestal made of lightweight concrete. The monument, standing 5.5 meters high, weighs six tons, while the base on which the statue is placed weighs two tons.

"The statue has been worked on for the last three years. It was gradually created from a tenth-scale model through a fifth-scale model to a one-to-one model, which we shaped step by step," the sculptor told reporters. A total of 80 parts of the statue were gradually transported to the location where the statue now stands, according to Kovářík.

The competition for the design of the monument was announced by the city district in 2013. The results were announced in the spring of 2014. However, the implementation of the project was delayed due to elections. In 2016, several hundred people began protesting against the construction, particularly criticizing the placement of the statue in a park where a member of the anti-Nazi resistance, Václav Morávek, fell in 1942. Similar complaints were raised by opponents of the statue's construction again in 2019, a year after Prague 6 signed a contract with sculptor Kovářík. The city hall's plan was supported by the monarchist party Koruna Česká, whose representatives sent a supportive open letter to the city district's mayor, Ondřej Kolář (TOP 09).

Maria Theresa of the House of Habsburg was the Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary, and Queen of Bohemia. She ruled in the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 to 1780. During her reign, she reformed the state administration, army, and education. With the General School Order issued in 1774, the monarch established, among other things, a general educational obligation for boys and girls. The Enlightenment reforms were subsequently continued by her son, Joseph II.