Nová Opava Statue, Sandstone statue in Sady Svobody, Czech Republic
The Nová Opava Statue stands in Sady Svobody, the Freedom Park in central Opava, showing fine details of sandstone sculpture. The work is about 10 feet (3 meters) tall and impresses with the careful treatment of the material.
The sandstone figure was carved in 1958 by Vincenc Havel (1906–1992) as an allegory of the city of Opava, whose coat of arms appears on the pedestal. It was placed on an 18th-century octagonal plinth that had earlier carried other coats of arms and artworks, and it was restored in 2019.
The figure personifies the city of Opava, and the town coat of arms carved on the pedestal makes the link explicit. The sandstone base is older than the sculpture: an 18th-century octagonal truncated pyramid that once carried other coats of arms and artworks.
The statue sits in the Freedom Park in the town center and is easy to reach on foot. The park is open to the public and offers a peaceful spot to stop.
The octagonal pedestal beneath the figure is older than the sculpture itself: it dates from the 18th century and once carried different coats of arms and other artworks before Havel's allegory was placed on it in 1958.
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