The bronze chain will return to the statue of Saint Wenceslas

Prague - A bronze chain will once again surround the equestrian statue of Saint Wenceslas in Wenceslas Square in Prague. Curator of the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague, Marie Foltýnová, said today to ČTK that the original chain, which was removed in 2005, will be installed on the preserved columns around the monument on Thursday.
    "The entire chain has been cleaned and preserved. The return of the chain is motivated by the effort to protect the statue of Saint Wenceslas, which has been a national cultural monument since 1995," stated Foltýnová.
    The author of the sculptural design of the chain's links, sculptor Zdeněk Kolářský, will also be present during the installation of the chain. The architectural and artistic solution was created in 1978 by architect Marie Wagnerová.
    Each link of the chain is in the shape of a flat hexagon with opposing emblems of a trio of linden leaves. "The same emblem adorns the capitals of the columns. The individual links are connected by unique technical solutions of joints that allow monitoring of the sagging and tension of the chain," Foltýnová described.
    Originally, the statue by Josef Václav Myslbek was placed in the view of several rows of alleys between traffic lanes. After the tram tracks were relocated to the center of the square and trees were cut down, the bollards from the front were moved to the ramp of the National Museum.
    In 1978, after warnings about vandalism around the monument, the then city council decided to enclose the monument with a chain. The bronze protection lasted until 2005, when the chain was removed due to the initiative of the Balbín's Poetical Party. The Balbín's considered the chain of linden flowers a symbol of evil and the occupation of former Czechoslovakia by the Soviet army. They pointed out that while the linden is indeed a national symbol, the leaves on the chain point upward with sharp tips like barbed wire.
    "Currently, protests and negative reactions regarding the events and daily operations around the monument are again intensifying. A dark side is the constant mess around the monument and the unruliness of visitors to Prague, who do not realize the significance of this place for Czech history," the curator stated.