The initiative to restore the Marian Column in Prague has once again sparked disputes

Prague - Today's placement of part of the balustrade of the replica Marian Column at Prague's Old Town Square was not without an altercation with the municipal police. It was placed here by sculptor Petr Váňa, who wants to return the replica of the monument to its original location. The composition of the balustrade did not require construction work on the square. However, the supervising municipal police pacified Váňa's brother Tomáš, who began to dismantle the pavement. This led to a scuffle between the guards and the participants of the event. After 7:00 PM, Váňa stated that he wanted to stay on site until the column was completed.

Prague police spokesperson Andrea Zoulová told ČTK that members of the Czech Republic Police also arrived at the square, but they did not need to intervene. According to her, the situation was managed by the municipal district of Prague 1 and the municipal police.

A part of the balustrade weighs about one and a half tons. All 250 processed parts of the column and the Corinthian capital were brought to the metropolis by Váňa on Tuesday. He is now finishing the capital and wants to return the work to the square based on a building permit, which will expire in July. However, he does not have an agreed land occupation or access road. Therefore, after the first attempt, during which he and his collaborators removed the cat heads from the part of the square, he had to return the site to its original state after the intervention of the municipal police.

The sculptor's brother Tomáš again began dismantling the pavement today, against which the guards intervened. "They dragged me a bit on the ground," Tomáš Váňa told reporters. "We were prevented from entering the construction site and unfortunately, because of that, we have to do things like secretly dismantling the pavement, and we are being persecuted by the municipal police for it," he added.

The organizers want to leave part of the railing of the column in the square and fence it off. Sculptor Váňa added that they have the right to build on the actual land, and the occupation should pertain to the surrounding land, which they do not need. The authorities see it differently - Prague 1 stated on Twitter on Friday that the restoration of the column is not possible without a permitted occupation. The request for issuance was received by the municipal district office on June 6, but it was returned to the applicant for supplementation. Consent from the Technical Communication Administration (TSK), which has not yet made a decision on the matter, is also necessary for the issuance of a decision.

After the end of the gathering at 7:00 PM, Váňa told ČTK that this is a construction, so he has a legal obligation to ensure its safety until it is completed. "There is a piece of stone here, and I have to guard it," he stated, adding that he intends to remain on site until the column is erected.

Jiří Pospíšil, the head of TOP 09, which is part of the Prague coalition of Pirates, Prague for Themselves, and United Forces for Prague (TOP 09 and STAN), criticized the guards for parking directly in the place where the column used to stand, thus blocking the reported place of prayer. "Participants were reportedly given an answer by the guards that they acted on the direct order of the mayor," he stated. He wants an explanation from Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates).

"The municipal police vehicle has been present in the square for a long time; I logically requested its relocation to the place where unlawful activities were previously announced. The gathering of participants on site clearly did not hinder that," Hřib responded. According to him, the guards acted appropriately. He added that the parcel belongs to the city, and if someone wants to build on it, a building permit is not enough; they need the owner's consent. "The council has clearly stated that it is not interested in the Marian Column in Old Town Square, Prague, and therefore does not have the owner's consent," the mayor further stated in a statement.

The column from the 17th century was toppled by a crowd in 1918 because they saw it as a symbol of the Habsburg monarchy. Discussions about its return have been ongoing since the 1990s. Proponents of restoration consider the Marian Column a symbol and a reminder of the defenders of Prague during the Thirty Years' War and a significant artwork from which baroque sculpture in Bohemia evolved. According to opponents, it is a symbol of Habsburg dominance and intolerant re-Catholicization of the country. The Prague council last expressed its opposition to the return of the column in 2017.