Before the Brno Faculty of Law, there will be a statue of Edvard Beneš

Brno - The space in front of the Brno Faculty of Law will probably be decorated this year with a statue of Czechoslovak President Edvard Beneš. The monument was commissioned by a resistance association for 400,000 crowns collected in a public fundraiser and then long negotiated with the city about the statue's placement. According to today's edition of the Brno daily Rovnost, the association has already reached an agreement with the city hall. However, representatives of the Brno Germans continue to criticize Beneš's statue.
    The placement of the statue has been confirmed by Deputy Mayor Daniel Rychnovský (KDU-ČSL) and Mayor Roman Onderka (ČSSD). The plan still needs to be voted on by the city council. "The chances are relatively high. I like the place in front of the Faculty of Law," Onderka said. Other considered locations included in front of the regional office, in Tyrš Park, on Joštova Street, or Benešova Street.
    The committee for erecting the monument to President Beneš mainly consists of former resistance fighters, political prisoners, and their relatives. They unsuccessfully fought for Beneš's statue in Brno for several years. Ultimately, they decided to raise money through a collection. For the collected amount, they had a copy of the statue, which stands in front of the Černín Palace in Prague, cast. The Brno copy will have a two-meter pedestal.
    President Beneš played a significant role in the plan to relocate Germans from Czechoslovakia after World War II. Marie Schrimpelová, a representative of the German Language and Cultural Society in Brno, therefore told the newspaper that she disagrees with the establishment of the monument. "I am for reconciliation, but a monument should not be built for him. He made many mistakes," Schrimpelová stated.