The statue of Neptune returned to the Liberec town hall today

Liberec - The statue of Neptune returned today to the square in front of the historic Liberec Town Hall. Together with the classicist fountain on which it stands, it is returning to the main square of Liberec after 85 years. While the fountain is original, Neptune is just a replica. The original was significantly damaged and is in the North Bohemian Museum. The completed fountain will be ceremonially unveiled on July 31, said Liberec's mayor Jiří Kittner to ČTK today. The return of the fountain is part of the revitalization of the square costing 5.4 million crowns, which began this March.
    Neptune is not the first valuable monument to return to the city center. Five years ago, for example, the statue of a knight returned to the top of the main town hall tower. It had protected the town hall and the city until 1952, when it was replaced by a red star and in 1990 by a Czech lion. Only in 2005 did the knight return to the top again, but he is also just a replica. The original knight was heavily corroded and is now, like Neptune, in the North Bohemian Museum. Recently, the oldest Liberec bell - the so-called fire bell - from 1692 also returned to the town hall.
    However, the fountain is significantly younger than the fire bell - it dates from 1823. It stood in the square only until 1925 when it was moved to the much smaller Nerudovo Square. Gradually, it fell into a nearly hopeless state. In addition to unfavorable weather conditions, vandals also contributed to its devastation. Therefore, the town hall had it dismantled and restored five years ago. The rescue of the monument cost the city an additional 2.5 million crowns. "The academic sculptor Jiří Novák, who restored the fountain, unfortunately passed away recently, but his team will complete the work,” noted the mayor.
    Neptune's fountain is the only one that has survived from several dozen fountains in the city; therefore, the conservationists will be especially monitoring it during the winter, as the water should not be drained from it. The water will continuously circulate, and if its temperature drops below a certain threshold, the spirals will begin to heat it. However, according to the conservationists, winter will show what year-round operation will do to the fountain - whether it will benefit or harm it. It could be endangered by so-called thermal bridges or freezing water.