Socha T. G. Masaryka na Školním náměstí v Hranicích

From a total of twenty submitted proposals, the expert jury selected the most suitable realization of a work that will remind of the 1st Czechoslovak President T. G. Masaryk at the School Square in front of the Elementary Art School. The jury agreed on the order of the three best proposals and submitted the results to the Council of the town of Hranice. The proposal for an equestrian statue by Ladislav Sorokáč and Ondřej Tuček was chosen as the most suitable, as it appropriately responds to the character of the given space and only minimally interferes with the parterre, leaving room for future modifications. The bronze equestrian statue is placed in the middle of the park arrangement of the square and is oriented so that it is clearly visible and distinct from both Farní and Radničná streets. The modern conception of the statue, simplified to an unmistakable flat silhouette of the statesman (created based on a photograph), is a contemporary interpretation of a classical equestrian monument. The work is expected to cost 3.5 million crowns. For the winners of the competition, sculptor Sorokáč and architect Tuček, this is not their first collaboration; they have previously completed the memorial to the victims of two totalitarian regimes in the Prague garden Ztracenka, finished last year. The second place was awarded to the proposal submitted by participant Václav Kocián, and the 3rd place went to the proposal submitted by participant Radmilem Beránkem. The council also awarded an honorable mention to proposal No. 5 submitted by participant Gabriela Maňáková. The competition was prepared in cooperation with the Czech Chamber of Architects. The submitted proposals were evaluated by an expert jury, which included representatives of the city, the dean of the Brno Faculty of Fine Arts, artist Milan Houser, architect Petr Janda, and the director of the Museum of Art in Olomouc, art historian Michal Soukup. The preparations and evaluation of the competition also involved jury substitute, sculptor Jan Zemánek, and the author of the current form of the School Square, architect Milan Obenaus. The jury assessed not only the artistic value of the submitted proposals but also the incorporation of the work into the space of the School Square, as well as practical issues of investment costs, maintenance, durability, and the appearance of the statue during different seasons. The timeline for the realization of the selected work will be a subject of negotiations with its authors. All proposals will be presented to the public in an exhibition to be held in the hall of Hranice Castle from June 24 to August 2, 2019. The exhibition opening will take place on Monday, June 24, at 5 PM. Furthermore, the proposals will be placed on the website www.masaryk-hranice.cz.