Former Monument of J. V. Stalin
*Megalomaniac monument to a former Communist leader
Significant photo
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On top of the hill "Letenská Pláň" (Letná Plain) in the axis of Pařížská Street used to stand a gigantic monument to Soviet Communist leader, Generalissimo Joseph Visarionovic Stalin. The dictator´s monument was supposed to be the largest in the world. Its construction started in 1952. The megalomaniac statuary, consisting of 235 bush-hammered granite block stones, was ceremonially unveiled on May 1st 1955; Stalin being already dead ( died 1953). Because of the end of Stalin's Cult of Personality that
had been decided at the 20th Meeting of the USSR Communist Party, it was decided to get rid of the monument. The gigantic sculpture of Stalin was actually blown up using dynamite in 1962. The creator of the monument, sculptor Otakar Švec, had actually committed suicide three weeks before the monument was unveiled.
Today in place of the statue there is only a sort of nondescript pedestal with, since 1991, a giant metronome that is, perhaps, faithfully witnessing "historical" time slowly ticking away.
