In Brno, a statue of President Edvard Beneš was unveiled

Brno - A statue of President Edvard Beneš (1884 - 1948) was unveiled in Brno yesterday. It stands in front of the Faculty of Law of Masaryk University on Veveří Street. The city paid tribute to one of the most significant figures in Czechoslovak history with its establishment, said Mayor Roman Onderka regarding the occasion. About 500 people attended the unveiling of the statue.
    Its placement had been advocated for many years by the Czechoslovak Legionnaires' Association. The statue cost 1.6 million crowns. The sculpture is a copy of Beneš's statue by sculptor Karel Dvořák, which stands in front of the Černín Palace in Prague. It is the first work of art that will commemorate Beneš in the city, despite protests from some Germans. The town hall received many letters urging them not to erect the statue or provide funding for it, but they were unsuccessful.
    The initiative to erect the monument came from members of the Czechoslovak Legionnaires' Association and the Association of Czechoslovak Foreign Pilots 1939-1945 in 2005. Then the Committee for the Erection of a Monument to President Beneš was created, which sought to include the project in the "Sculptures for Brno" initiative. This project aims to enrich and beautify public spaces in the Moravian metropolis with nearly ten sculptures.
    The project succeeded after lengthy discussions. During negotiations, it was noted that Beneš essentially had little connection to Brno, discussions included his failure to oppose the communist coup in 1948, and there were also mentions of the expulsion of Brno's Germans.
    Recently, a sculpture of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was unveiled as part of the "Sculptures for Brno" project, and an object honoring Thomas Alva Edison is waiting for installation. In the future, a mounted statue of Moravian margrave and Roman king Jošt of Luxembourg, also known as Jošt of Moravia, is expected to become a pride of the city. It is intended to adorn Moravian Square.