The equestrian statue of Masaryk for Lány is complete

Lány (Kladensko) - The equestrian statue of the first Czechoslovak president, which is to be unveiled on March 6 in front of the T. G. Masaryk Museum in Lány, is already completed. It should be delivered to Lány two days before the ceremonial event, said František Povolný, director of the T. G. Masaryk Museum, to ČTK.
  The oversized load will set off on the morning of March 4. "It will leave at dawn at 07:00 from Horní Kalná and travel through Mladá Boleslav, Mělník, and Slaný to Lány,” described the transport Povolný.
  The work, slightly larger than life size, was created by sculptor Petr Novák from Jaroměř in the Náchod region, and the costs amount to around 2.6 million crowns. Initially, the cost was expected to be about 300,000 crowns lower. "The casting was somewhat more expensive because the sculptor also made a bronze pedestal. There ended up being more bronze. Instead of a concrete base, there will be a sandstone block, which is nicer. Thus, the price has slightly increased,” added the director. The work was created thanks to a public collection. The largest contribution, two million crowns, came from the Central Bohemian Region.
  The statue will be first presented to the public on the occasion of the celebration of the 160th anniversary of Masaryk's birth. Events for the anniversary will begin on Friday, March 5, in Rakovník, when a bust of the first Czechoslovak president will be unveiled at the hospital, which has returned to the name Masaryk's after many years. "Masaryk opened the hospital during the First Republic; they even have an entry in the memorial book,” added Povolný.
  This will be followed by a commemorative act at the Masaryk statue in Čermák's parks, the unveiling of a memorial plaque for the founder of the Czech Red Cross, Alice Masaryková, at the new school cafeteria, and the opening of the exhibition "President T. G. Masaryk" at the T. G. M. Museum in Rakovník. "The presidential period will be presented there; we will have documented the life of the First Republic,” stated the director.
  On Saturday, March 6, the celebrations will continue in Lány, with the main event being the unveiling of the equestrian statue. The program also includes a commemorative act at Masaryk's grave, the opening of the exhibition "Nobility in the Service of Masaryk's Republic" at the Lány Museum, and performances by musical ensembles. At the railway museum in Lužná near Rakovník, visitors will have the opportunity to simultaneously visit exhibitions on T. G. Masaryk and the railway and Czechoslovak legions on the Trans-Siberian Railway, located right in railway cars. On Sunday, March 7, these cars will move to Hodonín, where the celebrations of the 160th anniversary of Masaryk's birth will continue.
  Masaryk was the first president of Czechoslovakia from 1918 to 1935, having contributed to its creation along with his successor Edvard Beneš and Slovak Milan Rastislav Štefánik. He served as the head of state longer than any other president who led Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic.
  Masaryk died at the Lány Castle on September 14, 1937, at the age of 87. It was nearly two years after he abdicated from the presidential office for health reasons. The Lány cemetery is also the final resting place of his wife Charlotte, son Jan, and daughter Alice.