Praha 5 was adorned with a memorial to Ferdinand Peroutka

Smíchov has been adorned since yesterday with a new artwork in public space. A monument to the publicist, writer, and playwright Ferdinand Peroutka was unveiled in the park near the Baroque summer house Portheimka. The object, shaped like a pipe, commemorates the famous resident of Prague 5 and was designed by architect Radek Talaš. His design, titled "Jací jsme" (What We Are), won in an open artistic competition, competing against 22 other participants. The cost of realizing the artwork amounted to 2.9 million crowns.

The municipal district announced the competition at the end of 2021, and the results were announced last April. Ondřej Bělica received the second prize behind Radek Talaš, and prizes were also awarded to Petr Pištěk and Eva Pyková with Alexander Kotačka. The jury, which assessed the competition entries, included the then-deputy mayor Lukáš Herold, councilor Zuzana Hamanová (STAN), architect Jan Šépka, artist Petr Dub, and journalist and critic Karolína Jirkalová.

The four-meter monument shape refers to the iconic pipe with which Ferdinand Peroutka is depicted in practically all photographs from his creative period. The work has a surface made of polished stainless steel, and the "head" of the pipe is topped with a mirror-like surface reflecting fleeting portraits of passersby. On it is the inscription "Jací jsme," recalling Peroutka's early work from 1924, which was appreciated by the mayor of Prague 5, Radka Šimková (PRAHA 5 SOBĚ): "The question 'What are we?' is important not only for the entire Czech nation but also individually for each of us. During this Advent reflection time, we can think about what we truly are so we can realize what we want to be."

The park by Portheimka features the very first monument to Ferdinand Peroutka in our country. "Its location was not chosen at random. The pipe seems to point towards the house No. 1286 on the edge of the park, where Peroutka lived until his forced departure into exile after the Communist coup," explained the councilor for culture in Prague 5, Štěpán Rattay (Pirates). Architect Radek Talaš also describes his creation as "a pipe left behind in haste by an emigrating owner": "I wanted to express that Peroutka disappeared from Prague not only physically but later also mentally when he was erased from our history textbooks in the second half of the 20th century. My work is a form of satisfaction for a great man and a restoration of his legacy to where it belongs." Radek Talaš chose steel as the material for the object because it is apparent at first glance: "Thus, a prominent solitaire was created within the park, visible from afar, similar to Peroutka himself. However, it does not disrupt the harmony of the greenery; on the contrary, it suitably complements the atmosphere here."

The ceremonial unveiling of the monument was also attended by Peroutka's granddaughter, Terezie Kaslová, who thanked the municipal district for the realization of the work: "Prague 5 has approached the memorial of my grandfather with immense reverence, which is not altogether common."

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Ferdinand Peroutka

(6. 2. 1985 Prague – 20. 4. 1978 New York)

One of the main representatives of Czechoslovak journalism in the first republic. Author of the monumental work "Budování státu" (Building the State), editor of Tribuna, and long-time editor-in-chief of the review Přítomnost. A member of the so-called "Friday Men," a group of intellectuals who gathered for discussions in the villa of the Čapek brothers. During World War II, he was imprisoned in the concentration camps of Dachau and Buchenwald. After 1945, he was a member of parliament, but due to communist persecution, he left for American exile in 1948. In New York, he led the Czech department of Radio Free Europe, among other roles.