Monument to Josef and Karel Čapek by Pavel Opočenský

The Monument to Josef and Karel Čapek stands on náměstí Míru in Prague's Vinohrady district, the neighborhood where both brothers spent much of their lives. At first glance it looks like a plain block of stone, but it hides a deeply personal tribute to two of the most important figures in 20th-century Czech culture — writer Karel Čapek and his brother, painter and writer Josef Čapek.

What does the monument look like, and what makes it distinctive?

The sculpture is a nearly three-meter-tall block of diorite, set upright like a boulder. On opposite faces of the block, holes are drilled through the stone in patterns that spell out the two brothers' names — Karel Čapek and Josef Čapek. Instead of letters carved into the surface in the usual way, the sculptor used a network of drilled holes you can literally see through. That approach gave the work its title, "Jména v kameni" — "Names in Stone." The piece was designed by academic sculptor Pavel Opočenský, known for work that pairs raw material with a minimalist, conceptual approach to form.

Why was the monument placed in Vinohrady?

The idea of honoring the Čapek brothers dates back to 1947, shortly after Josef Čapek died in a concentration camp and Karel Čapek died just before the outbreak of the Second World War. In 1983, officials asked the then-minister of culture to tie the monument's unveiling to the centenary of Karel Čapek's birth, which fell in 1990. It was only after the Velvet Revolution, though, that the decision was made to place the monument specifically in Vinohrady — the district both brothers were personally connected to, having lived and worked in its streets. The foundation stone was laid in 1990 on a grassy patch of náměstí Míru, and the monument itself was unveiled five years later, in 1995.

Who were the brothers the monument honors?

Karel Čapek is one of the best-known Czech writers, the author of novels and plays whose work left a lasting mark on world vocabulary — it was in one of his plays that the word "robot" was used for the first time. Josef Čapek, his older brother, was a painter and writer who co-authored some of his younger brother's works and created illustrations and book covers. He died in a Nazi concentration camp shortly before the war ended. The monument in Vinohrady is one of the few places in Prague that honors both brothers together rather than separately.

What else is worth seeing near the monument?

Náměstí Míru is one of Vinohrady's central squares, lined with Art Nouveau and neo-Renaissance buildings, with the Church of St. Ludmila standing at its center. Despite its modest size, the monument to the Čapek brothers fits naturally into this space as a quiet point for reflection, worth a stop while walking through one of Prague's most distinctive residential districts.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the Monument to Josef and Karel Čapek located? On náměstí Míru in Prague's Vinohrady district, the neighborhood where both brothers lived.

Who designed the monument? Academic sculptor Pavel Opočenský.

What material is the monument made of, and what is it called? A block of diorite nearly three meters tall; the work is titled "Jména v kameni" ("Names in Stone").

When was the monument unveiled? The foundation stone was laid in 1990, and the monument was unveiled in 1995.

Why are the brothers' names drilled rather than carved? It is the sculptor's signature technique — the names are formed by holes drilled all the way through the stone rather than traditional letters cut into the surface.