The small Kaplický octopus stands instead of Letná in Brno's Lesná

Brno - In Brno today, a several-meter-long shelter for public transport was ceremoniously unveiled, inspired by the "octopus" of the late architect Jan Kaplický. The idea to use the design of the National Library of Prague intended for Letná for the stop came from law student Martin Felgr. The project was supported by the Brno-sever district. The unveiling of the four-meter-high blob in champagne color was witnessed by dozens of local residents at the Loosova stop in Lesná. Many of them liked the project. However, people also expressed concerns that vandals would soon destroy the original stop.
    "I give it two days, at most a week, before it gets scratched," said skeptical 65-year-old retiree Jana. According to the media representative of the investor, Magdalena Dobruská, the fiberglass "octopus" is protected against graffiti with a special coating.
    The installation has a footprint of seven by seven meters, and is protected from below by a fiberglass-reinforced concrete base. This also serves as a bench for passengers waiting for the bus. The fiberglass shell features lighted openings, including the main "eye" above the entrance.
    "If Praguers cannot walk around the new National Library in Letná, at least Brno residents can stroll around its smaller version in Lesná," said Bronislav Matyšek on behalf of the investor, Pepsi.
    The grand opening was also supposed to be attended by the late architect's wife Eliška Kaplicky and his girlfriend, architect Eva Jiřičná, but neither could come due to work commitments.
    The investor had the stop made as part of the Pepsi Refresh Your World campaign. The company did not specify the installation cost, only stating that the entire campaign, including the production of the stop, cost tens of millions of crowns. The Brno-sever district received the stop as a gift.
    According to the mayor of the Brno-sever district, Sabina Tomíšková, the city hall will cover the operation of the stop - for example, its lighting. "So far, there have been no financial demands on our district, and they will arise at the moment of takeover when we receive the stop as a gift. Overall, it can be said that the costs will ultimately be greater than those of a classic stop," Tomíšková added.
    "We knew when we went into this that the blob would have a large number of supporters, but also people who would find it an eyesore, or it would just be plain vandals," the mayor said to reporters regarding the locals' concerns about the destruction of the unusual object. "So we are definitely prepared for these issues in cooperation with the police. We have other options as well; we have the blob insured, for example," she added.
    The new building of the National Library for two billion crowns, built according to Kaplický's design, was supposed to be built in Letná in Prague. However, in 2008, the government decided that the library would not be built due to unresolved land relations and financing. Additionally, the European Commission issued a statement that the competition was in violation of the public procurement law.