Jaroslav Hašek

The Monument to Jaroslav Hašek stands on Prokopovo náměstí in Prague's Žižkov district, right among the streets the writer once walked on his way to his favourite pubs. It ranks among the most unconventional monuments in Prague — instead of a classic figure on a pedestal, visitors encounter a surrealist fusion of sculpture and bust that is impossible to confuse with any other memorial in the city.

Who does the monument commemorate?

Jaroslav Hašek (1883–1923) was a Czech writer, humorist, satirist and journalist, also known for his bohemian lifestyle. Politically he moved from anarchism to communism, and during the civil war in Russia he served as a commissar in the Red Army fighting against the Czechoslovak Legions. He is remembered above all as the author of "The Fateful Adventures of the Good Soldier Švejk During the World War" — an unfinished novel about a soldier in the First World War that doubles as a biting satire on the ineptitude of authority figures. The book has been translated into around 60 languages, making it the most translated novel in Czech literature.

Why was the monument placed in Žižkov?

The location is deliberate. It was in this very neighbourhood, on Jeronýmova street and in the nearby pubs, that Hašek lived while writing the first part of "Švejk." Žižkov was his natural environment — a working-class district full of taverns where he found the inspiration for his characters and dialogue. The monument therefore stands almost exactly in the place the writer was creatively and emotionally tied to, rather than in the city's representative centre.

Who designed the monument and when was it unveiled?

The unconventional form was created by Czech sculptor and graphic artist Karel Nepraš (1932–2002). Nepraš did not live to see the work completed — after his death, his daughter Karolína Neprašová finished the piece. The monument was unveiled on 5 October 2005.

What does the monument look like, and what does it symbolise?

The composition consists of a bronze horse balanced on thin, stilt-like metal legs, pierced by a tall, prism-shaped stone pedestal topped with a bust of Hašek. The plaque forming the horse's "body" resembles a pub table — the kind Hašek liked to sit at for hours. The horse shape itself is no coincidence: it alludes to the equestrian statue of Jan Žižka on nearby Vítkov Hill, the historical figure the Žižkov district is named after. In this way the monument fuses two layers of meaning — Hašek's everyday tavern life and the district's historical namesake — into a single, surprising mass of bronze and stone.

What else is worth seeing nearby?

Prokopovo náměstí sits at the heart of Žižkov, a district known for its dense turn-of-the-20th-century architecture, abundance of pubs, and an atmosphere that still feels more authentic and less touristy than Prague's Old Town. A walk in Hašek's footsteps can easily be combined with a visit to nearby Jeronýmova street, where the writer lived while working on "Švejk," and a climb up Vítkov Hill, the site the monument's horse motif references.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly does the Jaroslav Hašek monument stand? On Prokopovo náměstí in the Žižkov district (Prague 3), near the places where the writer lived and worked.

Who created the monument? Sculptor Karel Nepraš, with the work completed after his death by his daughter Karolína Neprašová.

When was the monument unveiled? On 5 October 2005.

Why does the monument feature a horse? The horse shape references the equestrian statue of Jan Žižka on Vítkov Hill, the district's namesake, while the plaque on its "back" symbolises the pub table where Hašek spent many hours.

What is the monument made of? Bronze and stone — a bronze horse on metal legs combined with a stone, prism-shaped pedestal bearing the writer's bust.