Statue of St. Wenceslas | New Town
St. Wenceslas Silhouette
St. Wenceslas | National Museum
View from St. Wenceslas

The Statue of St. Wenceslas

As you look towards the upper end of Wenceslas Square, you will notice the Statue of St. Wenceslas, an equestrian statue by J.V. Myslbek and probably the most famous statue in Prague. The most significant Czech sculptor of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries and a representative of monumental realism, Josef Václav Myslbek, worked on the sculpture for almost 35 years. The Good King Wenceslas, as he is known from the famous Christmas carol, is depicted as a warrior surrounded by the statues of four Czech patron saints, St. Ludmila (the grandmother of St. Wenceslas), St. Prokop (with the face of J.V. Myslbek himself), St. Adalbert, and St. Agnes of Bohemia. The statue's base was designed by Alois Dryák and its ornamental decoration by sculptor Celda Klouček. In 1995 the sculpture was proclaimed a national cultural monument. The sculpture, which was originally slated to be placed on the National Museum's platform, is a symbol of Czech statehood, a point of reference and a favorite meeting spot in the center of Prague – a place where people meet not only for private meetings, but also to demonstrate. A famous parody of this statue of St. Wenceslas is one by the controversial contemporary artist David Černý, depicting St. Wenceslas sitting astride a dead horse, which can be seen hanging in the Lucerna passage.

The statue is located in front of the National Museum.

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