A Monument to Franz Kafka

Vězeňská, Staré Město

The Franz Kafka Monument in Prague by Jaroslav Róna

It would take almost eighty years for a monument to Franz Kafka to be erected in his native city of Prague. On 4 December 2003, the Franz Kafka Society marked his 120^th birthday with the unveiling of a cast-bronze statue, 3.75 metres high, weighing 800 kilograms. Hundreds of Kafka enthusiasts took part in the festivities, not a few of them wearing black suits, hats, and coats.

Its location was carefully chosen: a small plateau between the Church of the Holy Spirit and the Spanish Synagogue, at the entrance to the former Jewish Quarter. Ever since, a mischievous Kafka has ridden on the shoulders of a man reduced to an empty husk. According to the newspaper reports, Czech sculptor Jaroslav Róna found his inspiration for this form while reading Kafka’s Beschreibung eines Kampfes [Description of a Struggle].

You can find the full article on the monument to Franz Kafka in Franz Kafka: A Life in Prague.

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