The fine for Prague 1 for the monument at Klárov has been paid

Prague - The fine of 150,000 crowns that Prague 1 received for constructing a monument to war pilots without the approval of heritage conservationists has been paid, informed CTK spokeswoman for Prague 1 Veronika Blažková. The Ministry of Culture confirmed that the city district must pay the fine imposed by the magistrate. The sculpture of a winged lion has been standing at Klárov since last June.
    According to Mayor Oldřich Lomecký (TOP 09), the situation did not need to escalate if the heritage conservationists had responded in a timely manner to the city district's notification about the construction of the monument. "That is why I - with all the risks involved - insisted that the monument be erected even without the consent of the heritage conservationists, especially since the Ministry of Culture did not dispute the location for the monument, namely Klárov," stated Lomecký, adding that he therefore paid the fine on behalf of the city district.
    The statue of a two-meter tall winged lion on a concrete pedestal covered with granite was created according to a design by British sculptor Colin Spofforth. The funds for it were gathered by Britons living in the Czech Republic. They wanted to thank for the heroism of Czechoslovak pilots serving in the ranks of the British RAF.
    However, the placement of the monument has been accompanied by disputes with Prague heritage conservationists from the beginning. They object to the monumentality of the work and the fact that there is already one statue in the park. They also criticize the process of Prague 1 and the British Embassy, claiming they applied for permission too late and without sufficient discussion.
    Czech and Slovak pilots became engraved in the memory of the inhabitants of the United Kingdom, especially during the famous Battle of Britain. During this battle, the Nazis suffered their first significant defeat in World War II. A total of approximately 2,500 Czechoslovak pilots served in the British military air force (RAF) during World War II, with 493 of them losing their lives in combat.
    A similar case occurred in Prague in 2009. At that time, the magistrate declared the placement of the pedestal for the statue of Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko illegal because Prague 5 did not have all the necessary permits for it. However, the statue eventually remained in place, and the city district received a fine of 9,000 crowns.