Perched on Letná Hill in Letná Park, overlooking the Vltava River, the Metronome is one of the city’s most striking modern landmarks. The location boasts spectacular views, though its history is somewhat somber.
The seven-ton artwork has been there since 1991, when it was intended to be just a temporary installation to promote a fair. Originally named the Time Machine by its creator Vratislav Novák, it perhaps still reminds us of the passing nature of time and encourages reflection on the past, present and future. For many Czechs it symbolises the new era following the Velvet Revolution (1989). Thank God the times have changed!
The clock is certainly much better than what used to be there before. The colossal seventeen-thousand-ton sculpture of Stalin, followed by a group of figures representing the Czechoslovak people. The project had been initiated by the Communist regime (1948-1989) as a symbol of loyalty to the Soviet Union and its leader, Joseph Stalin.
Fortunately, the monument was demolished in 1962. Only a styrofoam replica of the monument was there on display in recent times. This was in 2016 during the filming of “Monster”, a film about its construction. Indeed, a fitting name for a film about the paranoid Communist leader who was responsible for so much human suffering.
The current 23-metre Metronome sculpture looks small and subtle compared to the 50-metre monster it replaced. Actually, it was once the largest Stalin Monument in Europe. The construction was completed after six years of meticulous work, using the finest stone. However, by the time it was finished, Stalin had already passed away (1953), and the Soviet Union under Nikita Khrushchev denounced what Stalin had done.
The monument was still officially unveiled in 1955, but subsequently demolished (1962) as part of the ongoing de-Stalinization process. So it took six years to build, seven years at the site, and four months to prepare the demolishion and blow it up. Little by little, as it was feared its falling debris could damage something or cause injuries. Better not to know how much the whole construction and demolishion cost.
In fact, you will still see some remains of the Stalin Memorial below the Metronome, including the base and torches. It has only recently come to light that the foundations had been dug up by Czechoslovak political prisoners. Regrettably, that’s not the the final chapter in the bleak history connected with the original memorial. Its main sculptor, Otakar Švec, tragically took his own life shortly before the unveiling. It was evident that he was under considerable pressure from the Communist committee and was constantly spied on. He was also ridiculed by people who despised the Communists, all of which only added to the personal and psychological pressures he was under.
Fortunately, times have changed and the Czech Republic is now a free country without monstrous cults and totalitarian governments. Despite the bleak history, the scenic views help us forget the demons of the past and focus on the present when strolling in Letná Park. It is a popular location for couples on dates, skateboarders, and families with children, as well as travellers searching for special photos.
Since the early 1990s, the area around the Metronome has also been used as a (final) stop during demonstrations or peaceful marches such as the Pride. Occasionally, cultural events are held there too. In 2003, the Metronome was even used for political purposes — to promote the Czech Republic’s Accession to the European Union by oscillating between the words “yes” and “no”. Well, if you are considering a visit, the answer is obvious: “Yes!”
