Brno's Jošt quickly became a meeting place and a tourist destination

Brno - Opinions on the aesthetic quality of the new equestrian statue in Brno differ, but it has quickly become a new meeting point and a tourist attraction. Groups gather around the allegory of courage in Moravské náměstí at all hours of the day. And not just around it, but also directly under the statue. The chest and head of the horse resemble male intimate parts when viewed from the passage beneath its extended legs. Photos from mobile phones continue to fill social networks even weeks after the statue's unveiling.

At the statue, which is also meant to commemorate the Moravian margrave Jošt, meetings are held not only by young people heading for entertainment in the center, but also by organizers of public gatherings. For instance, the conveners of today’s event "Card for the Next President" only needed to post on Facebook that they would meet by Jošt. There’s no need for further explanation. The people of Brno already know where to find Jošt, despite some city politicians' reserved stance toward the statue.

“The statue is received ambivalently and we hear controversial opinions on it, but it’s understandable. Everyone has different tastes, and I personally wouldn’t have chosen a statue of this design. However, it’s a matter that was contractually bound to the previous political leadership; the statue was already tendered and selected earlier, so it is not connected to the current city leadership,” said Deputy Mayor Klára Liptáková.

The statue has several nicknames; people often compare it to Don Quixote, while others refer to it as Giraffe due to its long legs. As a stylized rider on a giraffe, Jošt has also made his way onto the label of a special batch of Brno beer, Lucky Bastard. It was named Lucky Jošt.

The statue has been surrounded by controversy from the beginning. The competition had to be repeated. Some experts criticized both the brief that connected the allegory of courage with the representation of Margrave Jošt and the winning design by Jaroslav Róna, who had previously not succeeded in a similar concept in Jihlava. Róna himself states that he chose to approach the equestrian statue of courage - how else - with courage.

“I decided to deviate from the historical personality of Margrave Jošt and rather shift my focus to the theme of a medieval nobleman, which is inextricably linked to the ideal of a knight and chivalry as one of the fundamental pillars of culture and power in medieval Christian Europe, which naturally included the Czech and Moravian lands,” Róna described his concept.

Even though opinions on the statue are divided, the work is on its way to becoming one of the modern symbols of Brno. The motif has already appeared on official souvenirs in the Tourist Information Center's shop, such as a fabric bag. “The statue is also included in the guided tour route,” said spokesperson for the Tourist Information Center, Gabriela Peringerová.

Whether the guide will show tourists the provocative lower perspective is uncertain. However, they will surely learn a few facts about the Moravian margrave from the late Middle Ages, to whom Brno dedicated an equestrian statue in knightly style in the 21st century, although historians describe him more as a skilled diplomat and unscrupulous politician.