Memorial Kafka , Prague, Guida per visitatori e cosa fare nei dintorni

The Kafka Memorial on Dušní Street in Josefov, Prague's old Jewish Quarter, is a bronze statue of the writer Franz Kafka riding on the shoulders of an empty suit. It was made by the Czech sculptor Jaroslav Róna and unveiled in 2003. It is one of the most photographed and most talked about pieces of public art in the city.

The story behind it

Josefov takes its name from Emperor Joseph II, whose reforms in the 18th century began to loosen the restrictions on Jewish life in Bohemia. Over the following decades, Jewish families gained rights and many moved out of the old ghetto, while the quarter itself later changed greatly. Kafka was born in 1883 in this part of Prague, wrote in German, and spent most of his life in the city. His name gave English the word Kafkaesque, used for bewildering, oppressive situations and lonely characters up against a system they cannot understand.

Prague honoured him with this statue in 2003, the 120th anniversary of his birth. Róna drew on an early Kafka story, Description of a Struggle, in which the narrator climbs onto the shoulders of an acquaintance and rides him. The sculptor turned that image into a small figure of Kafka perched on a hollow, headless suit. It is odd, funny and a little unsettling, which suits the writer well.

What to look for

• The empty suit that carries Kafka: it has no head and no body inside, so the figure on top seems to ride on nothing at all.
• The small, slim figure of Kafka in a coat, which contrasts sharply with the large, hollow form beneath him.
• The setting beside the Spanish Synagogue, with the Church of the Holy Spirit close by on the same street, so Jewish and Catholic Prague sit within a few steps of each other.
• The dark bronze surface, worn smooth in places where visitors touch it for a photo.

Tips for your visit

• The statue stands outdoors on a public street, so you can see it at any time. Allow ten to fifteen minutes for the statue and a few photos.
• Go early in the morning or later in the evening if you want the street to yourself, since tour groups gather here during the day.
• Combine it with the rest of Josefov: the synagogues, the Old Jewish Cemetery and the Old Town Square are all within walking distance. Check current opening hours and entry rules for any site you want to go inside.
• Take a moment to read a few lines of Kafka before or after you visit. The statue makes more sense once you know the story it comes from.

See it on a quest

Franz Kafka's Prague: Literary Tour is a natural way to meet this statue. You reach it on foot as one stop on a longer walk through the writer's own streets, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group, and you can start whenever you like.

The Plague Doctor of Prague also passes the memorial. It lets you see the statue as part of a wider route through the old city rather than as a single photo stop, with the story of each place told as you reach it and a puzzle to solve in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.