Prague’s Letná metronome returns after two years of renovation

One of Prague’s most recognizable landmarks, the Letná Metronome, is once again in motion after more than two years of repair work. The large kinetic sculpture, designed by artist Vratislav Karel Novák and often referred to as the Pendulum, has resumed operation with renewed technical precision and updated features.

Standing 25 meters tall and weighing seven tons, the metronome was originally installed in 1991 on the site of the former Stalin monument as part of the General Czechoslovak Exhibition. Intended as a temporary installation, it has instead become a permanent feature of the city’s skyline for over three decades. Its hand, powered by a two-ton weight, swings up to 60 degrees, symbolizing both the passage of time and the transformation of the site.

The recent renovation cost nearly two million crowns and involved extensive technical upgrades. Workers replaced the gears, tested the welds on the swinging arm with ultrasound, and added modern safety systems. New lighting and a camera system were installed, and the entire structure received a refreshed surface finish. “Every intervention in the metronome is a technical challenge. The mechanism is a complex machine and access to individual parts is difficult. We are now in trial operation and testing the new drive,” explained Pavel Gorda, whose company has long overseen its servicing.

The metronome is owned by PSN, which has been responsible for financing its maintenance since 1996. Annual operating costs run into the hundreds of thousands of crowns, while larger overhauls, such as the most recent one, require multi-million-crown investments. “The pendulum is an important symbol of Prague. Since its commissioning, it has been keeping time and reminding us of the moment when our country gained freedom after the fall of the communist regime. We are honored to take care of it and remind people every day how precious freedom is,” said Max Skala, PSN’s executive.

Beyond its mechanical function, the Letná Metronome has become a cultural and historical marker. Where the world’s largest statue of Stalin once stood, a modern work of art now moves steadily, embodying both technological achievement and a reminder of Prague’s past and present. Transported by helicopter from the ČKD hall in 1991, the metronome was never meant to be permanent, yet it has endured for more than thirty years as a symbol of the city’s transformation.