Focus on this artwork and explore the Disputes and preparation.
In 1990, a private association for restoring of Marian column was founded  in Prague. Beginning in 1995, a group of Czech artists, started work on restoring the Marian column. In 2000, Petr Váňa was asked to sculpt a replica of the head of statue of the Virgin Mary. This part of the work was completed in 2002 and installed in the southern yard of the Church of Our Lady before Týn (Chrám Matky Boží před Týnem) in Prague. Petr Vána, with his brother and an assistant, continued the work. They brought a sandstone column from India and cut other parts of group.
The reconstruction of the column was rejected several times, most recently in September 2017, when city councillors suggested that it divided the people of Prague, rather than reconciling them. Opponents see the column as a symbol of post-White Mountain oppression by the Catholic Habsburg rulers. According to Prague's Mayor, Zdeněk Hřib, it represents "the promotion of one idea at the expense of another. Consequently, in principle [the column] cannot be taken in this context as a symbol of reconciliation within the framework of ecumenical harmony". According to the mayor, the column symbolizes the defeat of the idea of tolerance, which is still relevant today.Before the expiry of the building permit on 29 May 2019, the contractor tried to start the construction by uncovering the foundations of the original column. However, he did not have permission to occupy the space needed for the arrival of construction equipment. The area was then barred by a city police van and the contractor had to restore the site to its previous state. A few days later, 26 Czech art historians published a call not to allow the city authorities to renew the column.In January 2020, however, the reconstruction of the column was approved by the Prague City Council.
White Mountain Marian column Virgin Mary Prague Zdeněk Hřib