The view of the largest Czech mosaic will be obscured by buildings this year

Ústí nad Labem - The largest mosaic in the Czech Republic and one of the largest modern mosaics in the world will likely be admired in its entirety for the last time this year. A new look at it will be obstructed by newly built houses in Ústí’s Mírové náměstí. Construction is currently on hold; according to deputy mayor Jan Řeřicha, the investor promised that it will resume in January. Once completed, it will not be possible to see the entire view of the mosaic, which measures 450 square meters.
    The mosaic, which dates back to 1985, is located next to the entrance to the Ústí branch of the Office for the Representation of the State in Property Matters. The Ústí museum materials for the project Ústecká Nej state that it is 25 meters high and 20 meters wide. It was created by Ústí artist Miroslav Houra in 1985.
    After 1989, the largest Czech mosaic almost disappeared. It is tied to the socialist regime and mainly celebrates the working and mining past of northern Bohemia. At the time the mosaic was created, the building housed the Regional National Committee. Its central motif was the inscription "All power belongs to the working people." Houra replaced the inscription with a motif of a house in the mid-1990s after long discussions.
    According to Ústí museum staff, the artist was inspired to create the mosaic during a trip to Mexico, where he saw leftist mosaics from the 1930s. It took him two years to create the mosaic, with five months spent affixing the glass pieces to the building.
    If the investor does not build the houses, the view of the mosaic will still not be protected. The land belongs to the city, and the city hall would, according to Řeřicha, make it available to other builders.