Unveiling of the statue of Jan and Josef Kohout
Jan Kohout (1819-1884) was a factory worker from Smíchov near Prague who in the winter of 1879/1880 made high wheels for his sons Josef and František. It was the first act in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy that initiated the development of cycling in Bohemia. Josef Kohout (1863-1946) became the most important rider of that time. He co-founded the Český klub velocipedistů (ČKV 1880). He founded and managed the magazine Velocipedista (1880-1890).
Preparations for the unveiling of the statue
The monument to father and son Kohout was initiated by the Czech Velocipedist Club in 1880, headed by the chairman Dr. Jan Králík, it was financed by Mrs. Vratislava Čiperová from the bequest of her husband, Mr. Ing. Jan Schaffer, it was created by father and son Karel and Petr Holub.
The unveiling of the statue took place on November 19, 2024
Cooperation was shown by the owner of the land, Invesco Real Estate. You can find the statue in the park in Smíchov, bounded by the streets Svornosti, Hořejší nábřeží and U železnično mostu. The symbolic place is practically where Kohot's mill machinery factory was located.
Ceremonial unveiling of the statue
On the occasion of the unveiling of the statue, the Invesco Real Estate company prepared a temporary exhibition of the works of the authors of the statue, Karel and Petr Holubový, in the building.
