Metronome

You can hardly miss the giant pendulum of the Metronome – Time Machine in Letná Park. If you go there, you will enjoy an amazing view of Prague and its bridges. The infamous monument to dictator J. V. Stalin stood there from 1955 to 1962. The sculptural group earned the less-than-flattering moniker “a queue for meat” among the people. Its value was 140 million crowns at that time, for which one could then buy 42 thousand cars. It survived seven years before it was destroyed with dynamite in November of 1962, which proved to be quite difficult and took three attempts. In 1991 it was replaced by the Metronome, created by the sculptor and professor of the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design, Vratislav Karel Novák. Even though it is reminiscent of Maelzel’s famous metronome with an inverted pendulum, its mechanical design is quite different.
 
The Metronome is 25 metres tall and weighs 7 tonnes. The pendulum could not be installed by a crane for fear that it may disturb the structural stability of the pedestal following the demolition of the Stalin monument, so it was lowered into place by a huge helicopter. The entire work has recently undergone a complete recently. Skaters and skateboarders like training in the area below the Metronome.