Prague 1 wants to know the opinion of people on the placement of the Freud statue

Prague - The municipal office of Prague 1 wants to find out what the residents around the so-called Goat Square think about the placement of a statue of the founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud. According to the city hall's plan, it should appear in the square in May. Some people have drawn up a petition protesting this. The municipality will hold a small referendum, said Mayor Petr Hejma (ODS) to reporters today.
    "It is right to know the opinion of the local people. The municipality will act according to the results," the mayor stated. He does not want to be guided by the petition, which he claims was signed by about 160 people, when there are several thousand residents around the square.
    If the residents were to reject the proposal, the councilors of Prague 1 would still find it difficult to influence the statue's placement. The city district can be a participant in the approval process, but the final verdict will be issued by the building authority. "The statue can be placed there even against the will of the city district," Hejma noted.
    Voting will not be governed by law. People will answer a simple question, and the ballots will be delivered to their mailboxes.
    Activist and farmer Stanislav Penc has protested multiple times against the installation of the statue in the square between Old Town Square and Haštalské Square, even bringing goats. The petition allegedly states that there used to be a pump on the site, and it should be restored. Freud supposedly has nothing to do with the square at all.
    The statue, costing around five million crowns, according to the design by Michal Gabriel, is already finished, according to Hejma. The sculpture depicts a scientist sitting at a desk, with another sitting figure on a table atop it, creating a repeated scene. Critics say it is good, but it should be placed elsewhere.
    Freud was born in 1856 in Freiberg, now Příbor in Moravia. He was a significant psychologist even in his time. He studied the psychological causes of mental disorders, exploring dreams, human consciousness, and the unconscious.