The memorial near Radio Free Europe wants to be built by over 80 artists

Prague - The memorial near the new headquarters of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) in Prague at Hagibor is to be built by over 80 authors. The winner of the competition will be chosen by the radio station in early autumn this year. Anna Rausová from the communication department of RFE/RL told ČTK today. The installation of the memorial is planned for May 2008. The completion of the building, into which the station will move from the former Federal Assembly building in downtown Prague, is scheduled for August next year.
    RFE/RL received 82 proposals for the memorial, Rausová stated, adding that the final number is likely to increase. The competition deadline was June 29. However, since proposals are arriving by mail not only from the Czech Republic but also from the USA and other countries, the competition organizers must wait until they receive all projects submitted to the post on June 29.
    The relocation of the radio, which has been based in the former Federal Assembly building since 1995, began to be considered after the attacks on New York and Washington on September 11, 2001. Prague and the Czech Republic searched for a new site for a long time, with construction starting at Hagibor last October.
    The memorial should represent the fundamental mission of the radio station - freedom, freedom of speech, openness, community, dignity, strength, and goodwill. The organizers highly appreciate the broad interest shown by artists in the competition and the large number of submitted proposals.
    The number is high, but it is difficult to compare it with similar cases, as such competitions are often conducted differently. The last public sculpture competition in Prague was for the monument to the victims of the resistance during World War II, which has stood at Klárov for a year. However, this competition was not open but invited - the organizers approached artists they had selected themselves. Furthermore, the monument was created not by the winner of the competition but by the one who placed second. The councilor of Prague 1, after intervention from the Czech Union of Fighters for Freedom, preferred the statue by Vladimír Preclík over the project by David Černý.
    Several artists were also invited to submit designs for the statue of Sigmund Freud for Kozí plácek, the placement of which was called into question by a local referendum. An open competition was held a few years ago for the project of the monument to the victims of communism, which involved 35 authors, with the winning project including the sculptures of Olbram Zoubek, who collaborated with architects Zdeněk Hölzel and Jan Kerele.