Unconventional Goethe monument must be removed from the waterfront

Prague - An unusual monument to the German poet Johann Wolfgang Goethe, which has stood in front of the Prague cultural institute bearing his name since early September, will be removed. The artifact, in which artist Jiří David supplemented the historical pedestal under the poet's bust with a new work, has only been granted temporary permission by the authorities, and they do not wish to allow a long-term placement. The October unveiling of the monument on Masaryk waterfront was part of the celebrations for the 25th anniversary of the Goethe Institute's operation in Prague.

The artist was surprised that the monument could not remain in place, even though its temporary placement was not problematic and involved parties discussed its potential permanent placement; the unveiling of the monument was attended by Mayor Adriana Krnáčová (ANO). "It is up to the institute how they decide to handle the monument," he told ČTK and mentioned the possibility of placing it in the garden of the German Embassy in Prague, thus on German soil.

A long-lost historical pedestal, recently discovered by chance, was supplemented by David with a construction wheelbarrow loaded with rubble, in which Goethe's books, burned fragments of a painting canvas, cigarette butts, a credit card, newspapers, and fragments of a computer are buried. (Non)monument, as the artist calls it, is likely accompanied by a reference to the monument's peripeties with a quote from the poet: "We do not need to visit an asylum to find the mentally ill; our planet is the psychiatric hospital of the universe."

Goethe's bust from 1883 originally stood in the former Pupp Alley in front of the Grandhotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary. It was created in memory of Goethe's 13 visits to the spa town. After World War II, the monument was temporarily removed as a reminder of a representative of German culture. However, the bust was already placed on a new pedestal on today's Goethe Trail in 1952.

Last year, the pedestal was found, and the Goethe Institute took it over. It will remain in its possession, and it is unclear whether it will search for a new public location for the monument. "Based on a request from July 22, placement was permitted for the period from October 1 to 14. The placement was requested as a cultural event," spokesperson for Prague 1, Veronika Blažková, told ČTK. Since the monument was not removed after October 14, according to her, it violated the law on land communications, as any placement of anything on a street or sidewalk needs to be assessed according to this law.

In November, the institute requested placement of the monument for December. "From the perspective of long-term use of pedestrian communication, the locally competent road authority assessed the placement of any facility at the site as unacceptable. The requests were not met," the spokesperson stated.