The iconic astronomical clock calendar in Prague’s Old Town Hall tower has been the subject of controversy since its 2018 unveiling. After Milan Patka from the Club for Old Prague filed an 18-page complaint about the copy to the National Heritage Inspectorate, art historians and restorers were up in arms about the artistic licence taken by the creator of the copy, Stanislav Jirčík.
Many of the faces from the original painting had been considerably altered, and in one controversial instance, the skirt that a character was wearing had been shortened into a “mini-skirt”, finishing above the knee.
After looking into the matter, the National Heritage Inspectorate ruled that Jirčík, City Hall, and the restorers were all to blame, but no one was punished. The new copy of the calendar will be produced by the Academy of Fine Arts this time, with the cost of replacing the unpopular copy split roughly half and half between the contractor and the city.