S12791N

Pedestal of the Statue of the Writer Karolina Světlá on Charles Square

The bronze bust of writer Karolina Světlá (1830–1899) was created by the sculptor Gustav Zoula and placed on a granite plinth according to the design by the architect Josef Fanta. The monument was unveiled on the west side of Charles Square on 29 May 1910. A black marble plaque with a gilded inscription which read: KAROLINA / SVĚTLÁ / 24. II. 1830 – 7. IX. 1899. MONUMENT TO THE CELEBRATED WRITER / AND FOR GRATITUDE FOR THE MERITS OF THE GREAT CZECH WOMAN / DEDICATED THE YEAR OF MDCCCCX. Originally there were large bronze vases decorated with laurel leaves on the sides of the plinth.

Together with the monument to Svatopluk Čech in Vinohrady, the bust of Karolina Světlá was probably removed in the 1940s as part of the requisition of non-ferrous metals and intended for smelting. However, the removal of the statues of the Czech revivalists was also often motivated by the Germanisation of Prague, which, in addition to removing the symbols of Czech statehood, also involved the renaming of streets and squares.Jan B. Uhlíř – Jan Kaplan, Praha ve stínu hákového kříže, Ottovo nakladatelství, Praha, 2005, pp. 94–99.

Josef Sudek photographed the abandoned granite base, devoid of bronze sculptures and vases, as well as the marble slabs with the inscription. Karolina Světlá's bust was fortunately preserved and after the war she could return to her original place together with the commemorative plaque.