World Art Utopia

Kůň — David Černý

David Černý's sculpture Kůň: Saint Wenceslas sits on the belly of an upside-down dead horse that hangs by its legs under the glass dome of the Lucerna Palace passage in Prague
Artwork FilePrague, Czech Republic

Kůň

SeenOct 2025

David Černý · 1999 · Prague, Czech Republic

Photo: JensKunstfreund / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Kůň (Horse) is David Černý's sculpture of St Wenceslas riding the belly of an upside-down dead horse, hung from the ceiling of the Lucerna passage in Prague. Made in 1999 for the Exhibition CZ 99, it was shown on lower Wenceslas Square that autumn and has hung in Lucerna since 23 February 2000. Source Source Source Reported

Seen Oct 2025. Evidence date: 2025-10-05. Source Reported

💡 4 things to know

  1. It started on Wenceslas SquareAccording to Prague's tourist board, the sculpture stood in the lower part of Wenceslas Square from 8 October to 10 November 1999 before moving to Lucerna. Source Reported
  2. It is made of foamThe horse and rider are made of polystyrene foam and epoxy resins, 470 cm high and 290 cm long. Source Reported
  3. An alleged conditionThe David Černý Tour website says the sculpture is allegedly to remain in Lucerna until a constitutional monarchy returns to the Czech Crown Lands. Source Reported
  4. A much-photographed workPrague's tourist board calls the dead horse hanging from the Lucerna ceiling probably the most photographed of Černý's works. Source Reported

📍 Where it is

Lucerna passage, Štěpánská 61, Praha 1 · Prague, Czech Republic Source Reported

Open in Maps

Map pin is approximate; use the named site or address to locate the work.

🗓️ Sightings

  1. 19998 Oct

    Shown on lower Wenceslas Square · prague.eu

  2. 200023 Feb

    Installed in the Lucerna passage · prague.eu

  3. 20127 Aug

    Photo in the Lucerna passage · camera date

  4. 20137 May

    Listed by Atlas Obscura

  5. 201917 Jul

    Photo under the Lucerna dome · camera date

  6. 202022 May

    Named in Expats.cz guide to Černý

  7. 20255 Oct

    Photo, still hanging · camera date

Green stamps mark dated photographs; amber stamps mark records or reports; red stamps mark removal. Publication dates are not camera dates.

✅ The facts

Artist
David Černý Source Checked
Year
1999 Source Checked
Made for
Exhibition CZ 99 Source Checked
Medium
Polystyrene foam and epoxy resins Source Checked
Size
470 cm high, 290 cm long Source Checked
In Lucerna since
23 February 2000 Source Checked
Address
Štěpánská 61, Praha 1 (Lucerna passage) Source Checked

In the press

Atlas Obscura · 2013-05-07
“Hanging from the ceiling of the Art Nouveau Lucerna Palace in Prague” Source Reported

Expats.cz · 2020-05-22
“In Palác Lucerna, you can find Horse (Kůň)” Source Reported

🔗 Related

All sources & image credits

Photo: JensKunstfreund / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Last checked: 26 October 2026 · How we verify art