When they succeeded in getting inside the statue through a square plate, the rivets of which were hidden under layers of copper rust, they discovered that the condition of the statue is even worse than was revealed by previous surveys. “The inner wall of the statue is collapsing and the five thousand bolts connecting the individual plates are decaying,” stated the restorer Pavel Filip.
An additional entrance is being looked for
The area the restorers were able to inspect however does not contain the foundation stone. “We expected that we would specifically get to the foundation stone and to the hidden documents embedded within it, but it is obvious that there must be another route to the lower level,” said Pavel Filip. Contemporary documents indicate that another entry exists in the stone part of the statue. Many more question marks hang over the statue; for example, how and when were gas torches used and where are those missing documents?
We are not going to hide our truth.
The unexpected find of the relief of Karel Havlíček Borovský inside of the statue is amazing and corresponds with also finding a poem called “We are not going to hide our truth in a shaft”. However, it is necessary to be aware of the fact that the statue had been installed on the square in 1915 during the First World War, in the period when a number of Czech politicians were imprisoned and could be sentenced to death. “The contractors obviously put the relief into the statue as a protest against the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy just before its completion in 1915,” states Petra Hoftichová from the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague.
What will come next?
This is the very first time that the interior of the statue has been entered by anyone since just after its installation in 1915. The restorers must refurbish it. “Of course at first three or four restorers and a team of structure engineers will assess the statue in detail. Everything will be done in consultation with conservationists. Then a tendering process will be initiated to find a suitable restoration company. At present we cannot say how much the repair of the statue will cost.” said counsellor Milan Richter. The last time the statue had been repaired was in 1965, but never to such extent.
