Marie Terezie Park: Statue of Empress Maria Theresia

Marie Terezie Park is probably not on your what-to-see-in-Prague list. This makes sense because the park does not have a long history and has only existed since 2017. It is named after Maria Theresia, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire to which Bohemia (and Prague) belonged. The eye-catcher in Marie Terezie Park is a sculpture of Maria Theresia. Another reason to visit the park is the absence of tourists, especially when you have just ambled along ever-crowded Charles Bridge. A third reason is that this park is located in a relatively unknown (for tourists) part of Prague and introduces you to Prague outside the centre.

Statue of Maria Theresia

A statue of Maria Theresia creates the expectation of a Baroque sculpture that bears a resemblance to her appearance as seen in the many paintings made of her. No way! The statue of the Empress in Marie Terezie Park looks more like a skittle or a pawn used in a board game.

A Lightweight Giant

The statue is in minimalist style and is 5.5 meters high. It is made of artificial stone and treated with anti-graffiti paint. The inside is made of a special polymer blend and it stands on a lightweight concrete pedestal. It is a lightweight giant because there is a parking garage underneath the park, which must be protected from caving in. Sculptor Jan Kovarik worked together with architect Jan Proska who took care of the technical aspect. The environment also had to be taken into account. There are two large exits from the underground garage in the park. The statue should not be dwarfed by these exits, which is why it turned out to be quite large.

Painting of young Maria Theresia

The Legacy of Maria Theresia

Maria Theresa (1717-1780), the only woman on the Habsburg throne, is known to almost everyone as the queen who introduced compulsory education in the Czech lands. Under her rule, many more reforms were implemented besides educational reforms. Centralized administration of the monarchy was established and state administration was professionalized. She stimulated industrial production and introduced registers of residents, real estate and land. She was the first to introduce paper money in Czech territory. From 1779, she started the introduction of house numbers. She did not allow religious plurality or tolerated any religion except Roman Catholicism.

Maria Theresia memorial statue in Vienna

Blanka Tunnel Complex

Marie Terezie Park is located in the Hradčany district above the Brusnický tunnel which is part of the Blanka tunnel complex. On the north side, the park is bordered by Milady Horáková Street. To the east is U Prašného mostu street and to the west is a tennis court next to the Ministry of Culture.

The Blanka Tunnel is part of Prague’s inner ring road. With 5,5 kilometer and consisting of three tunnels, the Blanka Tunnel is the longest traffic tunnel in the Czech Republic and in Europe. It connects the Dejvice and Castle districts in the west with the Troja district in the northeast. Its purpose is to relieve the historical centre of Prague from heavy traffic.

Getting there

Public transport: Tram 1, 2, 22 and 25 to the Prasny most stop

Further reading
Maria Theresia and house numbering

Photos Wiki Commons