Ohryzek Járy Cimrmana

The Apple Core of Jára Cimrman (Ohryzek Járy Cimrmana) is a small but widely recognized monument in the garden of the Faculty of Science at the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice. It consists of a life-size bronze cast of an apple core mounted on a granite pedestal — a tribute to Jára Cimrman, a fictional character playfully celebrated as "the greatest Czech" of all time.

Who is Jára Cimrman, and why does he have a monument here?

Jára Cimrman is a fictional character created by Zdeněk Svěrák and Ladislav Smoljak, portrayed in Czech popular culture as an all-round genius of the 19th and early 20th centuries — supposedly an inventor, traveler, philosopher, teacher and playwright who left his mark on nearly every field of science and art, even though history never actually recorded any of his achievements. Since the 1960s, an entire strand of Czech humor has grown around this figure, including stage plays, mock biographies, and — as here — monuments commemorating Cimrman's supposed exploits at specific real-world locations.

What exactly does the monument show?

The sculpture is a true-to-scale bronze cast of an apple core — the leftover bit discarded after eating the fruit — placed on a stone pedestal. It was created by sculptor Michal Trpák, who carried out the project with the approval of Zdeněk Svěrák and David Smoljak, who today continue the legacy of the Cimrman theatre. After negotiations with Czech foundries fell through, the cast itself was ultimately produced in Germany and shipped by post to České Budějovice.

What is the joke behind the monument?

According to the tongue-in-cheek legend, this is the exact spot where Jára Cimrman once discarded the core of an apple he had just eaten, thereby — as the inscription on the pedestal states — laying the foundations of ecological composting. The fact that the monument stands precisely in the garden of a science faculty sharpens the joke: a fictional genius "discovers" a scientific phenomenon in the very place where it is now studied in earnest. The idea to erect the monument came from faculty researchers Zdenko Gardian and Pavla Staňková.

When was it unveiled, and where exactly does it stand?

The monument was ceremonially unveiled on November 17, 2014, just before the start of the faculty's annual hiking march to Mount Kleť. It stands in the freely accessible garden of the Faculty of Science, which anyone can visit at no charge.

Is there anything else to see in the garden?

Alongside the sculpture, the garden also holds a "living" tribute to Cimrman — a blackberry shrub given the mock-scientific Latin name Rubus jarae-cimrmanii, formally described by botanists in 2014, the same year the monument was unveiled. It's another example of the trademark Cimrman blend of scholarly seriousness and absurd humor.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the Apple Core of Jára Cimrman located? In the garden of the Faculty of Science at the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, an area that is freely and publicly accessible.

Who was Jára Cimrman? A fictional character created by Zdeněk Svěrák and Ladislav Smoljak, portrayed as an all-round Czech genius of the 19th and early 20th centuries — one of the most recognizable elements of Czech popular culture and humor.

What is the monument made of? A life-size bronze cast of an apple core mounted on a granite pedestal, created by sculptor Michal Trpák.

When was the monument unveiled? On November 17, 2014, just before the start of the faculty's annual hiking march to Mount Kleť.

Is it worth a dedicated trip? It's a minor curiosity rather than a major attraction — best visited as part of a broader trip to České Budějovice, especially for anyone interested in the Jára Cimrman phenomenon in Czech culture.