By the end of the year, there will be a statue for Palach on the pylon by the National Museum

Prague – In December, the bronze sculpture Flame for Palach's pylon at the National Museum (NM) is expected to be completed. Sculptor Antonín Kašpar is working on it. NM deputy Milan Plaček provided this information in response to a query from ČTK. A thirty-meter steel column serves as the base for the statue and stands in front of the building that formerly housed the Federal Assembly in Prague, where part of the museum is located today. Until recently, few people knew that the object was conceived as a reminder of Palach's act from 1969 almost four decades ago.

Student Jan Palach self-immolated on January 16 in Prague to protest against the lethargy people fell into after the shock of the occupation by Warsaw Pact troops, and he wanted to awaken them to act. He died from severe burns on January 19.

During the construction of the Federal Assembly building, author of the pylon Karel Prager planned a reminder of Palach's act near the site where it took place. Evidence of its original purpose was only recently discovered in Prager's archive. The National Museum restored the mast, which was designed as a massive sculpture. It now intends to install a sculpture reminiscent of flames. In the tender announced last year, Kašpar applied as the only candidate and won the contract for 3.7 million crowns.

The authors in the 1970s concealed the true meaning of the memorial. Originally, it was to be adorned with a granite sculpture by Miloslav Chlupáč called Flame, but officials banned that in the early 70s. A model of the sculpture is preserved in the National Gallery.

According to Plaček, the museum signed a contract with Kašpar in October for the production of the bronze sculpture Flame based on the original plaster model by sculptor Miloslav Chlupáč. "Chlupáč considered creating the sculpture from granite. Due to the large weight of the stone and the issue of anchoring it to the steel pylon, bronze was chosen as the final material during a working meeting with the copyright heirs and heritage preservation staff," Plaček stated.

Prague is set to have two Palach memorials after many years. A few years ago, a sculpture by American architect and sculptor of Czech descent John Hejduk was unveiled on Alšovo embankment. This memorial, named House of the Son and House of the Mother, consists of two geometric sculptures also representing stylized flames.

Last October, the National Museum opened the Palach memorial in Všetaty near Mělník. It includes the birthplace of Jan Palach and a new building with a multimedia exhibition. The Prague 2 district is also considering placing an official reminder of Palach's life and act on the house on Londynská street, where Palach was allegedly born according to recent findings, or on the house on Legerova street, where the healthcare facility was located where Palach died from the consequences of his self-immolation three days later.