A new monument honoring General Karel Kutlvašr, a Czechoslovak legionnaire and leader of the anti-Nazi Prague Uprising of 1945, has been unveiled in Prague 4’s former Nuselský brewery. The memorial comes 80 years after the uprising where Kutlvašr played a pivotal role in liberating the city.
The monument, designed by Ondřej Tichý, takes the form of a golden banner that embodies the general’s character – courage, empathy, decisiveness in extreme situations, and innate nobility. At its base, it bears Kutlvašr’s powerful words from 1939: “Nothing can be achieved without risk”.
As the military commander of the Prague Uprising, Kutlvašr successfully negotiated the surrender of German forces in Prague, saving countless lives. However, his heroism was later punished by the Communist regime, which sought to diminish his role in favor of portraying the Red Army as Prague’s sole liberator.
The general’s connection to the brewery location runs deep and tragic. After his release from Communist imprisonment, where he was stripped of his rank and reduced to a private, Kutlvašr was forced to work two jobs at this very brewery – as a night watchman and doorman – to survive.
Fully rehabilitated only after 1989, Kutlvašr’s story serves as a powerful reminder of both heroism and injustice in Czech history. The new monument, initiated by Prague councilor Michal Hroza, finally pays proper tribute to one of the key figures of 20th-century Czech history.