Statue of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, Brno

The Statue of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk in Brno stands on Komenského náměstí, a small square in the Brno-město district, right next to the buildings of Masaryk University. It is one of several statues of the first Czechoslovak president found across Czech towns, all cast from the same pre-war original design.

Who does the statue depict?

The statue commemorates Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (1850-1937), a philosopher, sociologist and politician who became the first president of independent Czechoslovakia in 1918 and held the office until 1935. In Czech national tradition, Masaryk – often referred to simply as "TGM" – is regarded as the founding father of the modern Czechoslovak state and a symbol of the democratic values of the First Republic. Statues, street names and squares bearing his name are common throughout the Czech Republic, and the Brno monument on Komenského náměstí is one of the better-known examples nationwide.

Where does this particular statue come from?

The figure on display in Brno is not a unique, standalone work but a cast made from an older original belonging to the town of Bystřice nad Pernštejnem, where a statue of Masaryk has stood in front of the local elementary school since 1939. A nearly identical sculpture also stands in Humpolec, on Tyršovo náměstí, unveiled there in July 1937, while the president was still alive. The Brno copy is therefore the third (or fourth, counting the Bystřice original) realization of the same sculptural design, placed in different towns across Moravia and Bohemia.

When was the Brno statue unveiled?

The Brno monument was unveiled on 7 March 2000, exactly on the 150th anniversary of Masaryk's birth, on grounds adjoining the buildings of Masaryk University. The date was no coincidence: the university, founded in 1919 and named after the president, made his birth anniversary the natural occasion to erect its own statue of its namesake.

What does the statue look like?

The sculpture shows Masaryk in a standing pose, stands roughly 3.5 metres tall and is cast in bronze. It rests on a polished granite pedestal bearing the inscription "T.G. Masaryk" along with his birth and death dates: 7.3.1850 – 14.3.1937. The plain, austere pedestal contrasts with the classically treated, realistic figure of the president, a combination typical of interwar-era monumental sculpture, the period from which the original design dates.

Where exactly does the statue stand?

The statue is located on Komenského náměstí in the Brno-město district, directly adjoining the buildings of Masaryk University. The spot is an easy walk from Brno's city centre and draws both university students and visitors interested in the history of Czechoslovak statehood.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the only statue of Masaryk in Brno? No. Besides the monument on Komenského náměstí, Brno has also had a very different, much more contemporary sculpture of Masaryk on Moravské náměstí, designed by Maxim Velčovský and made of metal tubing to mark the centenary of the founding of Masaryk University. The two works should not be confused.

Why does the statue look identical to ones in other towns? Because it is a cast of the same original design, the first copy of which has stood in Bystřice nad Pernštejnem since 1939, with another in Humpolec since 1937. The Brno monument, unveiled in 2000, repeats the same sculptural composition.

Why was the statue unveiled specifically in 2000? The date was chosen deliberately: 7 March 2000 marked the 150th anniversary of Masaryk's birth, which provided the occasion to erect the statue on the grounds of Masaryk University in Brno.

Where exactly can visitors find the statue? On Komenského náměstí in the Brno-město district, next to the buildings of Masaryk University, within easy walking distance of the city centre.