Survey: Brno Residents Want the Jošt Statue to Be Traditional

Design by Marius Kotrba

Brno - The equestrian statue of the Moravian margrave and Roman king Jobst of Luxembourg should resemble Myslbek's St. Wenceslas from Prague's Wenceslas Square, according to the residents of Brno. This was the response of the city's inhabitants in a survey conducted by the municipality alongside an exhibition of artistic designs submitted by artists for the statue competition. The exhibition was visited by 1,500 people, of whom 400 participated in the survey. Not a single vote was cast for the winning design by Marius Kotrba, said Deputy Mayor Daniel Rychnovský (KDU-ČSL) to reporters today.
According to Rychnovský, the results of the survey indicate that the city council made the right decision in not commissioning the statue. In July, they definitively concluded the sculpture competition, decided on the distribution of prizes to the winners, but did not order the work. According to Mayor Roman Onderka (ČSSD), the competition might be repeated next year.
Experts defended Kotrba's winning design. For instance, architect Petr Hrůša stated that the statue cannot simply please the viewer or express a specific expression, "because that borders on kitsch." However, the councilors admitted that they could not vote for something they did not like.
The public survey was won with 87 votes by the design of Jan Šebánek and Jan Kratochvíl. The ruler sits on a horse and holds a bird of prey in his hand - a symbol of ambition, determination, and fierceness characteristic of Jobst's personality. According to Rychnovský, it also showed that laypeople have a sense of abstract art. The second place went to a winning arch made of glass, in which the silhouette of a horse rider is hidden, and water flows in a sort of moving barrier in its center.
The creation of the statue of Jobst of Luxembourg (1351 to 1411) was advocated by former mayor, now senator Richard Svoboda (ODS). Due to this intention, he also announced a public fundraiser, which raised 1.4 million crowns. The costs for creating the statue are estimated at ten million crowns.
City representatives were supposed to unveil the work on October 1, 2010, the day of the 600th anniversary of Jobst's election as Roman king. This deadline will not be met.