Bedřich Smetana's Monument

Location: In the park near Poštovní dvůr (Postal Court) in the southern part of Karlovy Vary
Year of creation: 1950
Author: Josef Wagner
Date of unveiling: 4 June 1950
Accessibility: Freely accessible

How to get there

Route 1: You may reach Smetana's monument if you walk from the Hot Spring in the city centre upstream along the right bank of the Teplá River to Grandhotel Pupp where you will continue up Goethova stezka (Goethe's Path) to the park near the Postal Court. This route, which offers a pleasant walk through the city centre, is approximately 1.5 kilometres long and it will take you about half an hour.

Route 2: The second alternative is to travel by Bus No. 2 or Bus No. 7 from the "Tržnice" (Market) stop to the "Richmond" stop by the Art Gallery. From there, you will walk only 100 metres through the park to the monument.

History of the monument

The monument of Czech composer Bedřich Smetana created by academic sculptor Josef Wagner in 1950 stands in the park near Poštovní dvůr (Postal Court) in the southern part of the city. It was erected in memory of the first Czech concert held in Karlovy Vary in the Postal Court on 19 July 1933. Even if first attempts aimed at building a monument to Bedřich Smetana had been launched as early as in 1934, they were halted by the subsequent events preceding World War II.

The unveiling ceremony ultimately took place on 4 June 1950 before crowds of local inhabitants and spa guests. The monument is a bronze life-size statue of Bedřich Smetana seated on a prismatic pedestal made of polished granite. In the nearby beautiful natural surroundings, you may also find monuments of Ludwig van Beethoven and Friedrich Schiller.