The construction of Mahler Park in Jihlava is taking its final form

Jihlava - Large stone objects symbolizing birds and fish have already been installed at the construction site of Gustav Mahler Park in Jihlava. The future water surface is also visible there. Work will continue with the delivery of soil, planting of trees, shrubs, and other greenery. The final step will be the installation of a life-sized bronze statue of Gustav Mahler. Radek Tulis, the spokesperson for the city hall, said this today.
    "Nature was a great source of inspiration for composer Gustav Mahler. The installed objects will be complemented by other elements symbolizing the landscape of the Highlands and Mahler's music,” stated the author of the design, academic sculptor Jan Koblasa.
    Three nearly twenty-ton bird sculptures and three fish sculptures, designed by Koblasa, were created by Jaroslav Řehna from Kamenná near Žďár. He used four types of granite – three are from nearby Mrákotín, and the red-colored material comes from Africa. The seventh sculpture and the central element of the park will be a three-meter bronze statue of the composer.
    The new Jihlava park is being developed according to the project by architects Martin Laštovička and Vít Doležal on the site of the former Jewish synagogue, which Mahler attended during his life in Jihlava. The synagogue was burned down by the Nazis in 1939, and its remnants will be part of the park.
    Mahler Park is officially set to open on July 7, 2010, on the 150th anniversary of the composer's birth. Its construction will cost 33 million crowns. The artistic works will cost six million crowns, and the documentation cost one million crowns.
    The life and artistic beginnings of the world-renowned composer and conductor are closely linked to the Highlands. He was born on July 7, 1860, in Kaliště near Humpolec to a German-Jewish family. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Jihlava. Mahler's first teachers were local musicians. His work was influenced by Czech folk traditions and the landscape in which he grew up. Both sources of inspiration are reflected in his compositional career.
    In Jihlava, Mahler attended the local gymnasium and held his first public concert there. At the age of 20, he embarked on a conducting career. He became the director of the Royal Hungarian Opera in Budapest, the artistic director of the Court Opera in Vienna, and worked at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where he led the Philharmonic Society. He composed nine major symphonies and is also the author of songs and song cycles.
    The idea of creating a memorial for Mahler first came from the civic association Community for the Establishment of a Gustav Mahler Memorial in Jihlava in 2004.