What do crawling babies in Prague symbolize? Children's paradise in the center of Prague! Or what to see in Prague with a child. What else to do in Prague with children, what to see
Those who think that there is nothing to do with children in Prague are greatly mistaken. There is plenty of entertainment and interesting places for children in the capital of the Czech Republic. Enough so that you can spend your whole vacation not thinking about the magnificent historical sights. In this article, we have selected 15 places that are worth visiting with children in Prague. Delight little tourists and diversify your holiday with this fairytale city fun, bright emotions and a dose of adrenaline.
Be sure to visit the Toy Museum (Museum hraček) with your children in Prague; this is one of the toys in the world. It’s easy to find - it’s located on the way from to, two steps from Marian Square.
A visit to this museum will be fascinating for both adults and children. While mothers and daughters will admire the richest collection dolls, bears, toy houses and furniture, boys and their dads will definitely be interested in thousands of models of cars, locomotives, steamships and battle scenes with real tin soldiers.
At the Toy Museum in Prague, children will see exclusive antique toys that are several hundred years old, and children will be able to touch and take a closer look at some of the museum’s exhibits. Take time to visit this museum in Prague with children to surprise your kids and feel like you're not so grown up.
Address: Husova 158/20
How to get there: the nearest station is Staroměstská (green line)
Opening hours: every day from 10:00 to 18:00.
The Mirror Maze (Zrcadlové bludiště na Petříně) is an attraction that guarantees laughter and fun, hidden behind the walls of a tiny, almost toy-like, medieval castle on the top . Entering this kingdom of mirrors, you will immediately get lost in hundreds of your reflections. After wandering through the mirrored corridors, the children will laugh and make faces in the hall of crooked mirrors, and adults will definitely smile at their comical reflections. Come to the Mirror Maze in Prague with your children for a big dose of good mood.
Address: Petřínské sady, 633 2
Children in Prague: Aquapalace Prague water park
Another interesting place for children in Prague - Prague water park. There are so many interesting things to do in Aquapalace Praha that it is absolutely impossible to get around everything in a day; there are incredible water slides, swimming pools, attractions and even a fitness center.
Especially for children in Prague, the “Palace of Treasures” has been set up in the water park. Bright design, interesting idea and fun attractions will definitely please your children. Children will be able to splash around in the splash pools, slide down the water slide, and explore Pirates' ship and feel the real sea motion! And moms and dads, after swimming and getting their dose of adrenaline, can relax in the sauna, have a massage or in one of the many bars.
You will find detailed information about holidays with children in Prague at the water park .
Children in Prague: Children's island “Dětský ostrov”
Organized for children in Prague the whole island. This real island on the Vltava, and it is really for children. It has slides, sandboxes, climbing frames, swings, sports grounds and a football field, a fountain, a swimming pool and water attractions. You can get to this paradise for children in Prague by ferry. The children's everyday needs are also taken into account, so get ready to spend the whole day on Children's Island. The entrance is free.
Address: Dětský island, Janáčkovo nábřeží, 476/43a
How to get there: by bus No. 176 or No. 6, 9, 12, 20 to the “Arbesovo náměstí” stop.
Operating mode: in summer time 09:00 - 20:00, in winter 10:00 - 18:00.
Children in Prague: DinoPark Dinosaur Park
If your children are not indifferent to dinosaurs, then it is simply unforgivable not to take your children to DinoPark in Prague. In addition to the static figures of huge dinosaurs, little tourists will see here prehistoric reptiles moving and chewing grass. And the dinosaurs here can growl and hiss, and their figures exactly match the descriptions of real-life dinosaurs.
There is a 4D cinema on the territory of DinoPark, where you can watch popular science films about the life of dinosaurs, and in the Paleontological Town, during excavations, you can independently discover a “real” dinosaur egg. Be prepared to spend at least half a day at the DinoPark in Prague with your children, because it will be very difficult to take a dinosaur lover away from here.
Address: Českomoravská, 2420/15
Children in Prague: Oceanarium “Mořský Svět”
Of course, children who love animals and the sea will be interested here. In the large aquariums at the Prague Oceanarium, children will see about three hundred fauna representatives. There are stingrays, moray eels, sea urchins, colorful coral fish, crabs, stars and even sharks. And the kids will definitely love the twilight and special lighting, which creates the impression that you and the other guests of the aquarium are deep underwater. Also on the aquarium’s website you can find a schedule of special events, such as feeding sharks or other inhabitants of the aquarium from the hands of divers.
Address: Výstaviště, 422.
Children in Prague: Lunapark
Tired of historical sights and hiking? Take your kids to Luna Park in Prague. On the territory of the amusement park there are more than a hundred attractions that will help children get a lot of bright positive emotions, and parents - remember their childhood. Look into the horror room with skeletons and monsters, ride on dizzying carousels and “ roller coaster", get lost in the mazes and have fun in the funhouse. Also, pamper your children and yourself with lollipops, gingerbread cookies and lemonade. Lunapark in Prague is a place for fun and adrenaline lovers.
Address: Výstaviště, 67 20
Are you and your children thrill-seekers? Then you definitely need to visit Bobová dráha in Prague with your children, a rail-bobsleigh track with a dizzying descent, loops and bends. Here you can reach speeds of up to 62 km/h, and these 800 meters will be remembered for a long time by both you and your little daredevils.
Children over eight years old are allowed to go on independent descents, but if your child is younger but determined, then you will be allowed to ride and get a dose of adrenaline together. There is no need to worry about the safety of this event; the organizers have taken care of it.
Address: Prosecá, 906/34b
Children in Prague: Puppet Theaters
Try to find time in your educational and entertaining vacation schedule and take your children to one of the children's theaters in Prague.
In the children's theater "Divadlo Minor" you will see puppet and plastic performances, the basis of which is music and talented acting, so ignorance of the Czech language will not prevent the children from having fun. And in the puppet theater “Divadlo Spejbla a Hurvínka” performances are held in eight European languages. Book your tickets in advance and then you will definitely get into one of the most famous puppet theaters in Europe.
Address "Divadlo Minor": Vodičkova, 674/6
Address "Divadlo Spejbla a Hurvínka": Dejvická, 919/38
Kingdom railways(Kralovstvi zeleznic) will be appreciated by men - adults and not so much. In this exhibition of miniatures, the Czech Republic can be seen at a glance - landscapes and cities, railway stations and railways, trains and carriages. Everything is done with the utmost care, and tiny locomotives run along the 120 meters of miniature railway. There is also a miniature model of modern Prague and a model of the Czech capital from the Middle Ages, feel like Gulliver.
Address: Stroupežnického, 3181/23 (opposite the Nový Smíchov shopping center)
How to get there: go to the Anděl station, No. 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 20 to the Anděl stop.
If your soul asks to deviate from the “sugar” Prague with the Charles Bridge and Prague Castle, we invite you to take a walk through the works of perhaps the most famous contemporary sculptor of the Czech Republic, the master of provocation David Cerny. We came up with a cunning plan to see the best “suchart” of the city in two and a half hours, and at the same time walk through the most pleasant neighborhoods of the capital - so look not only at MAPS.ME, but also around!
1. Babies
Mahlerovy sady 2699/1, Prague 3
The main work of the sculptor, because of which you have definitely heard the name Czerny, awaits you on the Žižkov TV Tower - the tallest building in the capital, which is visible from anywhere in the city. As usual, half of Prague hates the tower, the other loves it. The entire system consists of three concrete pillars united by transverse structures ( observation decks), and naked babies are climbing up the pillars.
Initially, only two Cherny dolls appeared on the tower, which were immediately removed - they thought that the whole structure looked too unreliable. But some of the townspeople thought that the kids had decorated the ugly tower, and the second part agreed that the TV tower couldn’t be made any worse, and they all asked in unison to return the sculptures. Today there are already 10 babies.
2. Horse
Stěpánská 61, Prague 1
20 minutes through the narrow streets, and in the Lucerne arcade you will find David’s second art object. Having passed through the shops and restaurants, in the atrium under the ceiling you will see a sculpture of St. Wenceslas sitting on his dead horse, suspended by its hooves.
If you are soft-hearted and easily persuaded, perhaps the touts in the center managed to drag you on a “classic” tour of Prague. Then you definitely saw the real monument of St. Wenceslas, from which Czerny sculpted - lovers of the Top 10 routes from Tripadvisor constantly make pilgrimages to the monument. Initially, Czerny's work was located directly opposite its prototype, at the other end of the square.
There are many options for what exactly the author wanted to say, just like the rest of Czerny’s works. He ridicules the rush among tourists who come to visit classical monuments in Prague, points out that the Czechs have lost old values, and criticizes modern politics at the same time.
3. K.
Spalena 2121/22, Prague 1
In the courtyard shopping center Quadrio you will see perhaps the largest object on our route. This is a giant 11-meter head of Franz Kafka, which is either deformed or folded out of 42 blocks that are in continuous movement. Due to the mirror surface, at first it is difficult to understand that the blocks are moving; it seems that the head simply begins to dissolve on its own and after a few seconds appears on the other side. The place is not for the faint of heart: no matter where you stand, it seems that Kafka is watching you. The writer’s works are difficult to interpret, his personality still remains a mystery, and therefore Czerny captured in this sculpture Kafka’s constant transformation, rejection of the outside world and another transformation.
4. The Hanging Man
Jilská 1, Prague 1
5 minutes from the shopping center along Spálená Street and stop looking at your feet - raise your head and see the figure of a man who is clinging to a beam with one hand and is about to fall. And if strong wind, he’s actually swaying!
Those who are accustomed to detecting political mockery in all of Czerny’s works, or who boast good eyesight, are sure that the hanging man is Lenin. Although the author himself explains that this is the figure of Freud, who “stuck” in the unconscious, and also personified the disunity between the common people and the intelligentsia.
Tourists who do not know about this work of art are often afraid that this is a real person who is planning to commit suicide and even periodically report it to the police. Be careful not to get caught!
5. Embryo
Anenské náměstí 209/5, Prague 1
After another 400 meters and 5 minutes of walking, among the classical architecture of the city, you will see something strange on the drainpipe of one of the buildings. The name of the installation speaks for itself - this is the embryo that David Cerny sculpted for the birthday of the Prague Theater. This mass symbolizes the emergence of creativity. In the evening, the figure is illuminated, pulsating with red light and looking quite creepy.
6. Pissing men
Cihelna 2b, Prague 1
In the courtyard of the Franz Kafka Museum there is another famous sculpture - a fountain: two men relieve themselves in a basin-base in the shape of the Czech Republic. The fountain does not just pour water, but writes various patriotic texts. The middle part of the body turns to the sides and, with the help of a special mechanism, writes out words (in every sense of the word). You can also join in contemporary art and order your own phrase for the sculptures by sending a message to the desired number (he texted right at the fountain).
7. Where are you going?
Vlašská 19, Prague 1
The artist's first sculpture, which brought him fame. This is a GDR Trabant with human legs instead of wheels. The sculpture recalls the times just before the fall of the Berlin Wall, when residents of eastern Germany fled the country in their cars to Prague, abandoned them and sought political asylum. Now this work is installed at the German Embassy, and you can only look at it from afar - through the fence. If you are not ready to crawl several kilometers upward towards art for the sake of this, then you can skip this point and immediately head to Kampa Park.
8. Babies in Kampa Park
U Sovových mlýnů 503/2, Prague 1
You can take a closer look, take a photo and touch those same babies from the tower in the park on Kampa Island. Three three-meter bronze cubs are located on the approach to the Museum of Modern Art. The peculiarity of the sculptures is the frightening absence of faces in the babies. Instead of eyes and nose there is a dent similar to a bar code. Rumor has it that babies with barcode faces are Czerny's protest against abortion.
9. Monument to sycophancy
Holečkova 789/49, Prague 5
One of the most provocative works of the “Czech Banksy” can be found in the Future Gallery of Contemporary Art. Two sexless and headless human figures are bent at an angle of 90° and turned with their backs towards you, as if inviting you to look into it (they even set up a ladder for this!). The sculpture itself does not need any explanation, especially if we take into account the original title of the work - Brown Nosing.
But if you decide to look through the hole, you will see another political subtext - a video with former President Vaclav Klaus and artist Milan Knizek eating porridge against the backdrop of the Queen song “We Are The Champions”.
10. Meet Factory
Ke Sklarně 3213/15, Prague 5
To reach the final point of the route, you will have to make a final push of 4 km or take a ride on tram No. 12 or 20. Meet Factory is both an art space and an art object at the same time. Meet Factory is located in a former railway administration building, which was given to David Czerny to turn into a residence for creativity. This is something like Andy Warhol's Factory: it houses fashionable studios, theater workshops, exhibition spaces, a bookstore and even a bar. This is where you can get into the spirit of the Czech rebel sculptor or even meet him himself. And if you have an overdose of contemporary art, here you can just drink a beer and indulge.
The duration of the route is 2 hours 30 minutes.
Photo - alesjungmann.cz, frank-udo-tielmann.photoshelter.com, whenonearth.net, holeinthedonut.com
About beauty Old Prague and its many historical monuments everyone knows. What can you say about contemporary works of art in the Czech capital? What unusual art objects are there in Prague and where can you see them?
There are many modern exhibits at exhibitions and in Prague museums, but we will look at works of art that are under open air. Let's talk about modern monuments on the streets of Prague. Of the ten most popular street statues, seven were created by the notorious sculptor David Černý.
“Horse” (Kůň), 1999
“Babies” on the TV tower
Ten giant “negros” – 3.5 m each – were installed on a building in the Zizkov district of Prague. Black, shiny and faceless crawling babies were created by the sculptor back in the 90s, however suitable place there was no room for accommodation. In 2000, Prague was declared a European cultural center. In honor of this event, Cerny, who lived on Žižkov at that time, placed the “little ones” on the TV tower. For a whole year and a half he chose a specific place for each figure.
Not all residents and guests of Prague liked “Babies”. In 2009, on one well-known Czech tourism portal, the Žižkov TV tower with “babies” was named the second ugliest building in the world. The tower is located at: Prague 3 – Žižkov; Mahlerovy sady 2699/1.
Three similar bronze babies are installed on the island.
"Pissing Men" performed by Cerny, 2004
Many people have seen “Pissing Boys” as fountains, and the public will not be surprised by this. David Cerny went even further. He has men peeing (Čurající fontána) - mannequins of fully mature husbands, each 210 cm high, controlled by an electronic device that allows you to rotate your hips and raise your penis so that the flow of water on the surface of the lake is shaped Czech Republic writes letters. Performing their usual “work”, men in an unusual way Celebrities are quoted. The “creativity” of these original fountains can be ordered in advance by sending the corresponding SMS to +420 724 370 770. And the desired phrase will be (literally!) “written.”
The fountains are located in the courtyard.
Address: Prague – 1; Cihelna 2.
"Suspended" (Viselec), 1999
In this case, Cerny “hung” the statue of Sigmund Freud to a height of 220 cm. The unfortunate sculpture of the eminent psychologist hangs from the roof on one hand (Socha Sigmunda Freuda visícího za jednu ruku) on Husova Street. This figure has repeatedly visited various exhibitions around the world. In 2007 she exhibited in Chicago. There, the work of David Cerny caused quite a stir. In the darkness, a realistic figure was mistaken for a person in trouble, and they tried to call rescuers to him.
"Where are you going?" (Quo vadis?), 1990
The sculpture of a Trabant car walking on human legs is dedicated to refugees from the former GDR. Before the fall of the Berlin Wall, East Germans fled en masse to Prague in their Trabants (they did not need a Czech visa). These people abandoned their cars near the German Embassy and went to ask for political asylum. In the park of the German Embassy in the Lobkovickém paláci in Prague, this funny monument has been erected since 2001.
Cars on the facade of "MeetFactory"
Two red cars decorate the MeetFactory cultural center
MeetFactory is the building of David Cerny's studio - multifunctional Cultural Center. Two more red cars are suspended vertically on its façade. The studio is located in a former railway depot in the Smichov district.
Address: Prague 5; Ke sklarne 15.
“Toadying” or “Brown-nosing”
The English play on words "Brown-nosing" is clear to most people without explanation. This installation was installed in the Futura gallery (at the exhibition of contemporary art). Two huge naked statues (or rather, their lower parts) stand leaning at a right angle. Climbing the stairs, you can look into each figure's... very essence. There, inside, there is a video with Vaclav Klaus and Milan Knizak. Prominent political and cultural figures eat porridge there!
The gallery is located at: Prague 5; Holečkova 49.
A six-meter statue of a chair stands at the entrance to the Jana a Medy Mládkových museum. Magdalena Etelova, a Czech sculptor, created a four-meter sculpture in the 1980s. It was installed at the gateway of the Vltava River and one day was destroyed by a flood. At the Fine-Industrial School, in 2003, they made a new – six-meter version of the “Chair”. They installed it in the same place. She weighs 8 tons, and rising water will no longer harm her.
"Penguins" at Re-Evolution
The penguin figurines are part of the Re-Evolution exhibition, owned by (a project of the art group Cracking Art Group). They are made from recycled plastic bottles and stand by the river, near the “Chair” we already know. At night, the formation of 34 yellow penguins (žlutých tučňáků) is illuminated. That's very beautiful!
"Victims of Communism"
The Memorial “Victims of Communism” (Pomník obětem komunismu) was opened near Újezd Street in 2002. Authors: sculptor O. Zubek; architects: Z. Holzel and J. Kerel.
This memorial of seven statues represents the indestructible political prisoners of the communist rule of 1948-1989. Thin, almost ethereal figures mournfully walk up the stairs and seem to disappear into space. There is a bronze plaque in the center of the monument. It indicates the number of victims of the communist regime.
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Blucifer is terrible, and this is made even worse by its location - near the Denver airport. Blucifer is not actually the statue's real name; this is just one of the few “gentle” nicknames that the city residents gave him. Among them are "Blue Stallion of Death" and "Satan's Horse". The original name of the statue is "Blue Mustang", but you only have to look at the statue to understand where its nicknames come from. In theory, this is a rearing, snorting, anatomically correct horse. But, looking into her burning red eyes, you understand that this is the horse of Satan.
It's no surprise that many Denver residents don't like this statue. She brought nothing but misfortune even to her creator. Luis Jimenez was working almost 10 meters above the 4,100 kg statue when it killed him. A fragment of the statue fell on the sculptor.
Moreover, they consider this horse to be a kind of symbol that confirms their theory. They are convinced that international Airport Denver actually is secret base, from which the signal will be given to the beginning of the restructuring of society. When the construction of the airport revealed that the budget had been exceeded, and the construction itself had dragged on for several years longer than planned, rumors arose that additional time and money were needed to build a huge underground bunker where the government would hide and from where it could conduct its activities. after the end of the world. Now some think that the horse is a clear proof of this, since it undoubtedly represents one of the horses of the Apocalypse from the Book of Revelation.
2. Quetzalcoatl in San Jose
Quetzalcoatlus - ancient god Aztecs, who was part serpent, part bird, and all in all a fire dragon. He is the head of the Aztec pantheon of gods.
In 1992, sculptor Robert Graham was asked to create a statue which will not only be the main artistic attraction of the city, but will also pay respect to the Spanish-speaking families who call this city home, and will also serve as a reminder of the people who founded it and lived on this land. This is how Quetzalcoatl was created.
We don't know what mattered more - the sculptor's ambition or the $500,000 he received from the city. Graham originally planned for a huge bronze statue, but then those plans morphed into something else.
When the city's arts council approved the statue's new design, no one was privy to the plans. Previously, Graham had already had to deal with dissatisfaction from customers, so until the opening the sculpture was not available for viewing.
After opening the statue people started putting their little dogs on top of the statue, which resulted in a lot of pretty funny photos.
But when they got tired of these entertainments, people realized that the statue was clearly unsuccessful, since it offended the feelings of some groups of the population. Many did not want part of their cultural and spiritual heritage to be remembered at all, since Quetzalcoatl was one of the gods who supposedly taught the art of removing the still beating heart from the victim's body.
Hundreds of people protested against the monument, opening one of the worst chapters in the history of San Jose. This was the second attempt to create a major cultural attraction, which failed miserably. The first effort was the unveiling of a statue of the 19th-century commander who captured San Jose and wrested the territory from Mexican control.
3. Faceless Babies of Prague
Prague - strange place. It has the Žižkov TV Tower, a 216-meter nightmare for the eye, the most... high building in the country. It has received many awards as the best building, but also ranks second on the list of the ugliest buildings in the Czech Republic.
Instead of just accepting the title of "ugly building", the city has tried to make it more attractive. Obviously, in Prague, this means adding something that would give viewers many nightmares.
In 2000 in different places towers, 10 giant faceless children appeared, crawling up and down on it. This is the work of one of the creepiest and most controversial artists in the city - David Cherny. Huge fiberglass babies also appeared in Kampa Park.
Three more children are accommodated in Kampa Park, and they perhaps cause even more horror (if this is possible, of course). Park visitors can see that these little babies, made of bronze instead of fiberglass, aren't completely faceless, although they do have strangely misshapen heads. Did their faces disappear or were they sucked in? In fact, we would rather not know about it.
4. Virgin Mother and Truth
Like many other artists, Damien Hirst is also a rather controversial character. But that's not the only reason it's controversial. His statues of the Virgin Mother and Truth leave passersby with absolutely no choice but to look at them and be horrified
Virgin mother Both Truth and the Virgin Mother are enormous in size and both are pregnant. This can be argued because they were partially “skinned” to expose everything that was inside - from muscle tissue to the unborn fetus. The height of the Virgin Mother is 10 meters and weighs 13 tons. It was purchased in 2014 by a Manhattan real estate tycoon whose neighbors soon went to war with him.
And Truth, made in almost the same “pregnant woman with her skin removed” style, is even larger. She is over 20 meters tall, holds a sword above her head and looks out over North Devon. According to Hirst, it is on a long-term lease, but it is understandable that many residents of the English seaside town are feeling some anxiety. While some call the statue a great tourist attraction, others think it looks a little Hannibal Lecter-esque.
The truth was installed at the port under a rental program for a period of 20 years. Although this was not done entirely out of the artist’s kindness - Hirst has a house nearby, as well as a restaurant overlooking this monstrous statue. Since the installation of the statue, the restaurant has been constantly filled with customers.
5. Headless statue
Behind the post office of the city of Legazpi in the Philippines, a rather frightening sight opens up: a monument in the form of a kneeling headless figure. Her posture implies that the blade came down just a second ago. There are more questions about the statue than answers.
One of official versions states that the statue is a memorial to the war heroes of the Bicol people, who died during World War II. There is another statue (less creepy) that is located in Naga City and is erected in memory of the Bicol martyrs, whose executions inspired support local residents Philippine revolution.
According to local legends On November 22, 1945, workers discovered a headless body buried in the sand of Elbay Bay in Sabang. Since his uniform was in almost perfect condition, they decided that he had been in the sand for a short time. But the head was never found. A benefactor of one of the city's colleges wanted to preserve the memory of the man and commissioned the erection of a statue, but only after the body was carried in a parade through the city.
How true this is, we don't know. There are no documents left to trace the history of the decapitated body or the commission for the installation of the statue, although quite a few people claim to remember what happened. Local historians have no idea what it was like real story, the National Institute of National History does not know this either.
6. Cloak of Conscience
The Cloak of Conscience is a sculpture that is terrifying, but at the same time strangely beautiful. It has different versions that continuously appear throughout Europe in the work of the artist Anna Chromie.
A cloaked figure with downcast eyes and slumped shoulders first appeared in the background of a painting she painted in 1980. At that time it was not even assumed that this would be a depiction of a real figure. The figure was empty and showed that nothing remained of the old woman except the rags of her cloak.
This theme appeared again when Anna first turned to sculpture. This time the idea was embodied in the form of an empty cloak, which was supposed to symbolize the road along which we all walk in life - the road the image of which is given by our conscience.
The response to the statue was overwhelming, and the artist decided to create other versions of it. She created a small number of relatively normal-sized sculptures of the empty cloak before creating her main sculpture.
Even the marble used to create the sculpture has its own story. It was mined from the same quarry from which the marble for Michelangelo's works was supplied. This quarry is the only one in the world where large enough pieces of marble can still be obtained, and the one Chromie required for her mysterious and sinister sculpture weighed 200 tons. He was so huge that most of The initial stage of work took place in a quarry.
Smaller versions of the Cloak have been installed in various locations across Europe, from Rome to Monaco and Prague.
7. Wickham Headless Statue Park
This park, located along a rural road near Palmyra, Tennessee, is a creepy collection of statues. They weren't always this scary, and they were never even expected to become this way.
After the death of their creator Enoch Tanner Wickham The statues were victims not only of Tennessee weather, but also of vandalism. For more than two decades, the tobacco farmer painstakingly created his statues. After retiring, he expressed his love for art and sculpture in this way.
He created statues of birds and oxen, several men sitting on horseback, and groups of people. There are also figures of Tecumseh, Andrew Jackson and Daniel Boone standing next to a bull, as well as a statue of Sitting Bull. But after Wickham's death in 1970, bad things began to happen to his sculptures, eventually causing them to look like something out of a horror movie set in the backwaters of the Deep South.
Not one of them managed to save their heads, and most are also missing limbs. They are pierced by bullets, rammed or hit by trucks, and some are completely broken and thrown off their pedestals. These pedestals, which were once inscribed with the names of the statues and short poems about their importance to the country, were also destroyed.
The result is not only creepy, it is also sad. Attempts were made to save some of these works of art, and some were moved to another location and fenced with wire to protect them from vandals. This is a rather tragic result of the work of a man who was a sculptor only because of his love for this work.
8. Moving statue of Neb-Sanu
This ancient Egyptian figurine of Neb-Sanu is behind glass in the Manchester Museum in England and looks very similar to a typical Egyptian figurine. It is small in size, only about 25 cm in height. But something incomprehensible happens to it: the figurine began to move inside the closed display case.
For some time no one noticed that her position changed during the day. Museum caretakers noticed this, apparently quite by accident, and set up a camera to follow the figurine. And when you watch the footage in slow motion, you can actually see it moving throughout the day.
The figurine, which is about 4,000 years old, was originally an offering to Osiris. It was in the museum's collection for 80 years, and no oddities were noticed about it, but its movements gave rise to many theories. Some have suggested that the figurine was actually home to the spirit of the person it represented, while another theory suggested that the figurine turning exactly 180 degrees did so to show viewers the inscription on its back that gave instructions for the offering. Osiris "bread, beer, oxen and birds."
The real explanation was much more mundane and completely uninteresting. Physicist Brian Cox figured out this mystery and proved that the figurine rotates without anyone's help under the influence of slight vibrations that create friction between it and the glass shelf.
9. Saint Wenceslas on horseback
St. Wenceslas was created by the same sculptor who created giant faceless crawling children. For reference: Saint Wenceslas is the patron saint of the Czech Republic, and another statue of him (much more majestic and less terrible) is installed on Wenceslas Square in Prague. And he’s sitting there on a completely normal horse.
Saint Wenceslas of David the Black sits not just on a dead horse, but on a horse suspended upside down. She has a limp body, a lifelessly dangling head and a protruding tongue.
When the statue was installed at the opposite end of Wenceslas Square, the dead horse made an even more bizarre contrast with the proud figure of the saint who sat on it. The face of this Vaclav statue bore a striking resemblance to then-President Vaclav Klaus, and this did not go unnoticed.
The depiction of a saint is not just blasphemous. It was interpreted as something absolutely revolutionary. The normal vertical statue of a saint at the other end of the square has been for a long time central place cities where residents gathered. It was there that they celebrated victories and gathered in difficult times. The inscription on the monument was a reminder of their strength and a call to perseverance, which makes the statue of another Wenceslas with his creepy dead horse even more disturbing.
Folklore also has an interesting remark about Saint Wenceslas. It is believed that, by analogy with the English King Arthur, Wenceslas and his knights are simply sleeping and waiting for the hour when their country needs them, and then they will saddle their horses again.
10. Wang Saen Suk: Buddhist Hell
The Buddhist tradition is best known for its idea of rebirth. Getting another chance to succeed in life is an incredibly attractive idea. Less attractive is the idea that you will have to wait a while before getting a new body. When a person dies, his actions are evaluated and weighed. If the bad outweighs the good, then the soul goes straight to hell to pay for its evil deeds before it is given another body. A very evil soul can spend thousands of lifetimes waiting in a Buddhist hell, paying for the atrocities he has committed. So if you've ever wondered what Naraka, the Buddhist hell, looks like, visit Wan Saen Suk.
Two statues that greet you upon entering(if the word “greeting” is appropriate here) - these are the souls of deceased men and women, “preta”. They appear to be quite a scary pair who roam the Earth in constant thirst and hunger. As is the case with many types of spirits and otherworldly beings, there are different interpretations of whether the preta lives separately from the spirit, which pays for its worldly sins. Some pretas can only feed on vomit and pus, while others, as a punishment, have such a narrow throat that they constantly feel suffocated and therefore cannot eat, drink, or breathe. Some preta are enormous in size, constantly crying, burning, or being moved by the wind.
And as if this were not enough to frighten sinners, there is a whole area with statues that leave nothing to the imagination and show visitors what will happen to them if they stray from the path of goodness and light. Some people are sawed in half or crushed in vices, while others are doomed to wander, bleeding due to the weapons left in their bodies. People are chewed by predators, and birds eat their entrails.
It's all terrible enough but there is also a special place that is reserved for a special type of sinner: those who used physical violence against their own parents or monks. There is a special pit prepared for them in hell, and they will not be able to get out of there until a new Buddha is born.