Franz Kafka Statue
The 11-metre high statue is a 21st century technical marvel in Prague. 42 moving floors form the face of the famous Czech writer Franz Kafka. The sculpture by artist David Černý stands near the Quadrio shopping centre and combines art with modern technology and the traditional golden hands of Czech craftsmen. Watch Proměna, wait for the right constellation of all floors and discover Kafka!
Construction
The whole sculpture consists of 252 all structural parts.
Lightest floor
190 kgWeight of the statue
39 t
Bends on the perimeters
The resulting shape of the shell is formed by 18,500 bends of stainless steel sheet.
Fasteners
12,500 welding rivets and more than 3,800 other fasteners, a total of more than 16,300 fasteners.
Height of the statue with pedestal
10,6 mHeaviest floor
520 kg
Powered by
The rotation of the floors is provided by 42 synchronous motors with increased moment of inertia.
Stainless steel sheet of mirror shine
1 500 m² / 24 tBase height
2,8 m
Position detection
The correct orientation of the floors is detected by 42 inductive sensors.
Control system
Siemens S7 control system with remote communication.
Energy
Energy consumption is reduced by heat recovery units.
Pedestal
Place for control system, control panel, switchboards, pressure and electric motor operated lift and other electrical equipment.
Weight of the statue
39 tHeight of the statue with pedestal
10,6 mWhen and where
The Moving Head of Franz Kafka is located on the piazza in front of the Quadrio shopping centre in the centre of Prague (right next to the B - Národní třída metro station).
The tour is free and open to all visitors.
The statue is regularly moved - the first 15 minutes of every full hour from 9:00 to 23:00.
In the evening, the sensitive lighting makes the statue an even more impressive experience - we recommend stopping by after dark.
Interesting facts
8900 hours
That's how much work the whole project took - from design to production to assembly.
For the construction, the model was drawn on 2039 technical drawings.
The build, which required the supply of bespoke special parts, took 6 months.
April – October 2014Discover Kafku
Discover Kafka-related places on the move. Take a journey through Prague. But don't forget: all roads lead back to the Quadrio.
Author of the work: - www.musoleum.cz
The artwork was financed by CPI Property Group.